That muted sort of longing
by Serendipity
Summary: Humor, angst and adventure color Ginny Weasley’s fifth year as she matures from the girl she is to the woman she will be. Her burgeoning powers are the least of her worries as her friendship with Harry darkens into something else. Updated 7-22
1. Seeking Harry

Title: That muted sort of longing  
  
Author: Serendipity  
  
Email: trekchic2001@yahoo.com  
  
Summary: Humor, angst and adventure color Ginny Weasley's fifth year as she matures from the girl she is to the woman she will be. Her burgeoning powers are the least of her worries as her friendship with Harry darkens into something else.  
  
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe and most characters mentioned in this story belong to the impeccable JK Rowling. No profit is being made.  
  
Important Note: This fic is a Post Book 5 story so SPOILERS and I mean spoilers right from the get go.  
  
Special thanks to Ashwinder and Chi for beta reading!  
  
Part 1: Seeking Harry  
  
***  
  
The sharp, piercing sensation in her chest had abated with time to a dull, constant ache. That, she reckoned, she could at least live with. Even now, secure in The Burrow, Ginny Weasley still felt the aftershocks of everything she had been through. While she had never been a stranger to heartache and had spent many lonely evenings crying herself to sleep, the reasons behind her tears now seemed so much more complicated.  
  
Her stress was exacerbated by the worry that every bit of rubbish on the ground held the potential for tears. Just yesterday, she had been walking back up the path towards home when she spotted a wrinkled piece of tinfoil on the side of the road.All at once, her eyes prickled painfully.  
  
The tin foil had reminded her of poor Neville Longbottom. That awful day she had found out what Voldemort had done to his parents was indelibly burned into her mind. It was forever connected to the moment she'd witnessed him wordlessly accept a gift from his mother, who was too far tortured into insanity to understand that all she was handing him was an empty wrapper.  
  
Neville had suffered as much, if not more, than the rest of them and had done so largely in silence. Ginny had never imagined that, behind his timid exterior and general clumsiness, he had suffered his own private tragedy.  
  
And that was only one of a series of epiphanies she'd been having.  
  
The end of her fourth year had been absolutely nothing like what she'd expected and she often found herself wishing for a simpler time when her only real trouble consisted of keeping up her grades and stopping herself from saying something absurd in front of Harry Potter.  
  
After experiencing the horror of her first year, she had thought herself tougher than most. However, Ginny rapidly realized that merely surviving evil was entirely different from actually fighting it. She had always envied her brothers' lives of seemingly endless action and intrigue but now that she was a part of it, she was questioning her earlier sanity.  
  
Being chased through an endless labyrinth of rooms in the pitch dark by a group of adult Death Eaters who very sincerely wanted to kill her was not nearly as enthralling and glamorous as she would have imagined it. If she took anything away from her time in Hogwarts, it would be that the world was, in reality, a decidedly dark place.  
  
Circumstances were still hard in her own family. Percy was still being a git, despite the fact the Voldemort had shown his face at the Ministry, proving that Dumbledore had been right all along. She had fully expected her brother to have the decency to apologize for his behavior, even if he didn't move back home, but evidently she'd given him too much credit. When all was said and done, the only thing they'd received was a curt note politely informing them that Aurors were being assigned to watch over The Burrow, as per orders from Fudge.  
  
The twins were faring no better with her parents, having essentially dropped out of Hogwarts and bullied their way into the Order of the Phoenix. Every time they went out on a mission, their mother looked apoplectic.  
  
Nevertheless, Ginny also appreciated how truly lucky she was. Though her father had been attacked and hospitalized during Christmas, he hadn't been killed. Given their numbers, it was a pure miracle that none of her immediate family had been irreparably harmed so far. She still had nightmares of Ron being attacked by the brain and how she'd sat prone, helplessly watching it try to devour him. There had been more than one night that she'd woken up from that particular nightmare and run to the loo barely in time to vomit up her dinner.  
  
And when she started to feel too sorry for herself, she would simply be reminded of the misfortunes of others, which trumped anything she had experienced.  
  
The loss of Harry's godfather, Sirius Black, was something that she thought about almost constantly. Despite the fact that she'd known him for less than a year, she had grown to regard him as a loveable, slightly roguish uncle. He was one of the few people that she knew Harry fully confided in and it just seemed healthier for him to have a parental figure in his life. Unlike with her own parents, Harry didn't have to compete for Sirius' attention with six other people. On more than one occasion, Ginny had watched with amusement as he had started to display some of his godfather's brash behavior. She couldn't imagine what he was going through now, stuck with the blasted Dursleys all over again.  
  
The thought of Harry caused Ginny to pause in her evening porch light ruminations and collect a cold glass of pumpkin juice from the kitchen. It was one thing to sympathize with Harry's loss, but it was quite another to think about him specifically. She wasn't quite sure how to wrap her mind around that particular issue.  
  
Her previous relationship with him all seemed so distant now. That idiotic Valentine's Day poem. The embarrassing way she'd worshipped him like a hero. Ginny could hardly believe she was capable of such simpering. In a ploy to be a bit less pathetic, she had set her mind at the start of last summer to spend a Potter-free year and, surprisingly, she'd done it.  
  
Granted, having Michael Corner as a boyfriend had been a pleasant distraction, as was living in the Black mansion with the Order, but she wasn't about to sell herself short. She'd detached from Harry remarkably well, all things considered. Viewing him strictly as a 15-year-old boy and not some mini Greek god, she'd started to realize the myriad of ways in which he was flawed. She soon came to realize the value of such an approach as that type of objectivity saved her a good deal of unnecessary angst. For example, when he'd started up with Cho Chang partway through the school year, she'd privately considered him Harry Potter: The Boy Who Was Daft.  
  
Every female at Hogwarts and at least half the males knew that Cho was still reeling from Cedric Diggory's death. While Ginny's heart went out to the girl she formerly loathed as a main competitor for Harry's affections, she had no illusions as to Cho's suitability for romance. She was downright unstable.  
  
If Harry didn't have the sense to see that for himself, well, he deserved the fallout.  
  
On the other hand, despite being able to see Harry's relationship with Cho as the unmitigated disaster it was destined to be, deep down, there was something about the fact that he had pursued her which irked Ginny personally. It probably had something to do with the feminine revulsion for being considered second fiddle, but she couldn't really even call herself that since she didn't exactly qualify as.well.a fiddle.  
  
And now, now that his mercifully brief relationship was officially over and Ginny too was free since Cho had ironically ridden off into the sunset with her own ex-boyfriend, she didn't quite know what to think.  
  
Then there was also the problem of even labeling the current state of their relationship. Ginny and Harry weren't quite friends, although they were much more than they had ever been before. The few letters that he had sent to Ron thus far had surprisingly inquired after her as well, making her feel that, for the first time, she had the pleasure of exercising her own identity a bit. There was potential in that.  
  
Draining the last of her pumpkin juice, Ginny settled back on the porch steps with the vague discomfort that seemed linked to thinking about Harry nowadays.  
  
Something about it just seemed so selfish. There was so much more going on around them that it seemed childish to continue to pine for him. How could she keep her head stuck in dreams of epic fairytale romance when Voldemort was running about, torturing people and trying to kill her loved ones? She imagined that there were better ways to spend her time than mooning over whether or not Harry Potter fancied her.  
  
At this point, it seemed fruitless to even hope.  
  
Perhaps, she mused, this was what it was to grow up.  
  
~*~  
  
It was several weeks later when the letter from Dumbledore finally arrived.  
  
Ginny had been sitting in the kitchen, flipping through the Daily Prophet when a school owl swooped in and dropped it in her mother's lap. It turned out, as per her father's request, Dumbledore was lending permission for Harry to spend part of the summer at The Burrow.  
  
The reaction to this news was almost instantaneous. Mrs. Weasley started fluttering around the kitchen enumerating two weeks' worth of preparation for his visit. Ron started cheering and ran to owl Hermione. Ginny merely leaned her head against the cool wooden table and felt some of the tension ebb out of her. Having Harry to stay with them at The Burrow was a relief on one front as it meant that he was temporarily out of the Dursleys' way. On the other hand, she doubted it would do much to reduce her conflicted thoughts.  
  
Upon his arrival that warm morning in late July, she found that he wasn't quite as anti-social as she had expected. She reckoned he had done much of his brooding at Privet Drive. Upon further observation, she reassessed her opinion and started to suspect that, if anything, his pain hadn't decreased. He had simply become better at hiding it.  
  
In quiet moments when Ron and Hermione were otherwise engaged, he would gaze out the window and Ginny would see the profound sadness in his eyes reflected by the glass. She, in turn, would be forced to quickly exit the room, blinking away tears of her own.  
  
There was nothing more frustrating than having deep feelings for someone and constantly worrying about his well being when he in turn only regarded you as an acquaintance.  
  
What it meant was she noticed much more than the others but said much less. It was an odd predicament to be in as her reluctance to speak with him had little to do with a fear of rejection. As far as she was concerned, Harry had already rejected her romantically. It had more to do with giving him a reason to push her away altogether. Even if she couldn't convince him to love her, she had to convince him to be her friend. There was a particularly stubborn part of her psyche that refused to release the notion that Harry was meant to be a part of her life in some way.  
  
Since their friendship was in its infancy, she often found herself stuck having bland conversations with him when the desire for more ate away at her. Then again, she wasn't being entirely fair. It wasn't as though they were completely superficial with one another. Ginny had already shared many deliriously funny moments with Harry that were entirely genuine. In fact, their evening chess matches had all but become legendary in the Weasley household.  
  
Challenging him to a game that first night had been a particularly unnerving experience for her, but it had soon paid off.  
  
Once it became clear that they were evenly matched, Harry's competitive streak had ignited with such fierceness that he'd recruited Ron as a 'consultant' since he reasoned that no one better than a fellow Weasley would have insight into her strategy. In retaliation, Ginny had joined forces with Hermione. After one particularly raucous evening, Mr. Weasley was appointed official referee and scorekeeper and they had made an event of it ever since.  
  
Currently, the girls were two games ahead of the boys (and thus had earned the adoration of the chess pieces, much to the boy's consternation) but Ginny expected them to regain their footing shortly.  
  
"Hermione, hurry the bloody hell up."  
  
She started at her brother's rude bellowing and glanced up from her position perched in the window seat, momentarily closing the book in her hand.  
  
"I've been ready to go for the last ten minutes, Ronald Weasley, so don't you shout at me. I'm waiting for Harry, he isn't down yet."  
  
"Harry!" Ron shouted, "I'm starved!"  
  
At the sound of footsteps on the stairs, Ginny quickly snapped open her book again, ducking her head so that she wasn't caught watching them.  
  
They were going to town for lunch. She had forgotten that.  
  
As if in response, her stomach grumbled and she felt a red flush start at the bottom of her neck.  
  
Sometimes, it was really dreadful to be left out. Now that she thought about it, she too was hungry. Unfortunately, she was stuck in her seat until the other three left, as she couldn't quite bear to fix a sandwich in front of them. It would look like some sort of passive aggressive request to be included.  
  
"I spent thirty minutes waiting for the washroom- twenty because you were in it and ten to let it air out. That means we're late because of you," Harry shot back, jumping the last three stairs to the landing.  
  
Ginny heard Hermione chuckle and she fought the smile tugging at her own lips as she stared dutifully at the page she was allegedly reading.  
  
"Sod off," Ron grumbled. "Ready, then?"  
  
Ginny bit her lip as she heard the squeak of something opening. There was the sound of footsteps followed by fading voices and the screen door banged shut behind them. After a miserable beat, she let her eyes drift upwards but realized, with horror, she'd looked too soon. Ron was still in the house glaring at his watch.  
  
Before she could look away, his eyes met hers.  
  
"Good grief, how many times do I have to say that we're leaving? I don't care what part you're on or how interesting it is. Ginny, get up, put that thing down and let's go before I starve to death."  
  
Had she not become so good at schooling her emotions, she had no doubt that she would have flung the book down, leapt off of the window seat, skipped up to her brother and thrown her arms around his neck in shocked joy. Instead, she casually stood and set it aside, moving at as leisurely a pace as she dared.  
  
"Sorry, I didn't hear you. It's a really engrossing book."  
  
He mumbled something about what a bad influence Hermione was being on her before they hurried out of the house to catch up with the others.  
  
Much later, after that evening's chess game had concluded (another victory for the women), Ginny was still basking in the glow of belonging.  
  
She watched Ron and Hermione wander outside onto the porch and was surprised when Harry didn't follow them. Her surprise deepened when he came to sit across from her on the sofa. There was something so deliciously adorable about his messy dark hair that she almost missed his first comment.  
  
"Good game."  
  
"Oh, thanks."  
  
A pause.  
  
"Just between you and me, I'm thinking of firing Ron."  
  
She grinned. "Not much help, is he?"  
  
"No, not really. And my pawns all hate him."  
  
"Well, they have good reason to."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"He did something particularly nasty to them last fall. They've refused to behave with him ever since. That's why Bill bought him a new set for Christmas."  
  
"I didn't realize chess pieces held grudges. What'd he do?"  
  
Smiling, she launched into the convoluted, sordid experience of Ron's pawns for Harry's benefit. Carefully describing all the cheating schemes, indentured servitude, and three weeks locked in a cabinet mixed up with some particularly vile toy soldiers, Ginny ended her woeful tale ten minutes later to dead silence.  
  
Glancing up, she noted that Harry's head was resting gently against the arm of the couch. The light reflecting off of his glasses had prevented her from seeing that his eyes were closed, but the soft shape of his mouth and his non-responsiveness added up to one thing. He was fast asleep.  
  
Rising from her chair as quietly as possible, she retrieved a sheet from the linen closet to drape over him.  
  
Most people, she realized, would be deeply offended by the fact that someone had fallen asleep in the middle of a conversation. Ginny reckoned that she would react no differently, had that someone been anyone but Harry Potter.  
  
Quite to the contrary, she was rather honored. In her mind, his actions implied a trust that she didn't realize they shared. His being at ease enough to fall asleep in her presence showed a willingness to be a bit less self-contained and more vulnerable than he normally was. Perhaps that's what friendship was-a series of seemingly disconnected and insignificant events which led to small breakthroughs. Breakthroughs like the fact that Harry was now actually snoring on the couch in front of her.  
  
Then again, it was entirely possible that she was over-thinking the whole thing, that he found her dreadfully boring, and that she should indeed be deeply offended.  
  
Positioning the sheet properly, she fought the urge to reach out and trace her finger down his famous scar as it peeked innocently out from behind his dark locks.  
  
In her fantasies, such an action would cause him to wake up, stare at her with those gorgeous green eyes, capture her hand with his and kiss her fingers lightly before moving on to the rest of her.  
  
In real life, she had no doubt that she'd do something idiotic like accidentally slip and poke him in the eye, thereby waking him up and leading to a decidedly less pleasant series of circumstances.  
  
Pushing her hair from her eyes, she tried to ignore the fact that she'd just broken one of her cardinal rules. No fantasizing about Harry under any circumstances. It wasn't the first time she'd violated that particular one, but she'd been clean for at least two months and it was especially irritating to be violating it when she was trying her utmost to be his friend. Frowning, she realized she was just going to have to try harder.  
  
The screen door slammed then, jolting him awake. After shooting her a vaguely disoriented look, he glanced down at the sheet around his shoulders and pulled himself up into a seated position.  
  
Blushing, Ginny looked away.  
  
"Night all," Ron called. "I'm off to bed!"  
  
"Oh..err.me too." Harry stood so fast that she didn't have a chance to step away and for a moment, they were inches apart. She couldn't be sure given the dim lighting, but he looked a bit pink as well.  
  
"Thanks, Gin." He put a hand on her shoulder as he stepped around her to jog after Ron. She closed her eyes briefly, reveling in the musky, masculine scent of him and the feel of his white t-shirt as it brushed against her arm.  
  
Sitting down onto the sofa he had vacated, she shivered despite the fact that it was still warm from his body heat. She would indeed have to try harder.  
  
Much harder.  
  
**  
  
If Ginny had been asked to predict what this summer would offer her, the last thing she would have said was a sense of normalcy. And yet, there they were.  
  
When the idea had been broached it seemed so painfully obvious that it was doomed for failure. In fact, Ginny had all but rolled her eyes when her father had suggested it. Much to her shock (and, she strongly suspected, everyone else's) Harry had been the one to enthusiastically support a pick- up game of Quidditch to mark the last day of his visit.  
  
Given the fact that, aside from chess, it was the only thing he had shown any interest in since he'd arrived at The Burrow, the adults had all but tripped over themselves to set something up. Tonks, Lupin, and Moody had come to escort him home that evening and their services were immediately engaged in conjuring up some goal posts and delineating the pitch boundaries in a nearby field.  
  
Her father seemed to think it was easiest to split up teams along the lines of Weasley vs. Everyone Else. So, Ginny, Ron, and the twins had taken one side while Tonks, Harry, Hermione and a clearly reticent Lupin had taken the other.  
  
Though he was initially annoyed to be playing against his friends, Ron had taken all of three seconds to immerse himself in the competition. His sense of family pride was clearly improving his Quidditch skills.  
  
"Nice save, Ron!" Hermione waved at him from across the field.  
  
Ginny could almost see her brother's ears turn red.  
  
"Oi, whose side are you on, eh Hermione?" Tonks huffed from the mild exertion of her missed goal. "A little less eyeing the other side's Keeper and maybe they wouldn't be slaughtering us."  
  
Masterfully ignoring the implications of that statement, Hermione merely muttered something about having been dragged into the game in the first place.  
  
"Look out!"  
  
The twins cackled gleefully.  
  
Like a true Auror, Tonks responded instantly to Harry's warning. She shrank in size just enough so that the Bludger glanced off her shoulder instead of knocking her clear off her broom. Springing back to full form, she erupted into a litany of particularly clever curses, Ginny's mind returned to the task at hand.  
  
Unlike Harry, who was darting every which way a few feet below her, she was content to float in silence and allow her eyes to exert the most effort as they tirelessly skimmed the air for the telltale gold.  
  
She had thought, at first, that it would be intimidating to play Quidditch against him, especially in the position of rival Seeker. But now, after successfully capturing two snitches in formal games, thereby holding her own against some of the best players in her school, she felt infused with a certain cool confidence.  
  
All in all, she mused, it had been nice to have him along for part of the summer. It had given her time to mold their relationship into something resembling a proper friendship and although he hadn't been particularly encouraging, he also hadn't pulled away. They had gradually got to the point where their discussions had moved from inane comments about school and friends to slightly less inane comments about school and friends.  
  
It wasn't much, but it was leagues better than she had expected and gave her some sense of accomplishment.  
  
She glanced down at him then and almost laughed at the dark concentration in his eyes. It was as though his life depended on finding the Snitch.  
  
She simply didn't have it in her to take any game that seriously.  
  
As if to underscore her thoughts, Harry suddenly shot forward. Following his gaze frantically, she saw the gleaming sphere next to Ron's left ankle and cursed herself for her distraction.  
  
Seamlessly, she shot off in the same direction, but kept her higher position.  
  
As Ginny was lighter, they were neck and neck as they approached her still- oblivious brother. Harry darted in a diagonal downward arc towards him while Ginny took her broom into a headlong freefall from above.  
  
Tonks paused in mid-shot as her eyes caught on the action taking place. This caused Ron to look up and let out a scream vaguely reminiscent to the one emanating from Hermione.  
  
Ginny supposed, in retrospect, that it had to be somewhat terrifying to see one's sister dive bombing one from above at the same time one's best mate was rushing forward in the manner of a kamikaze pilot.  
  
With little time to dwell on such things, Ginny's gaze narrowed at the Snitch darting seductively around his foot and briefly allowed her vision to widen enough to encompass Harry's position.  
  
She realized, with irritation, that his head start had been more than she could contend with. He was going to get there first.  
  
Unless.  
  
Without thinking about the consequences, she shot down behind her brother and kicked out as she passed him. The heel of her shoe caught him in the back and he lurched forward, pinwheeling wildly.  
  
Just as she had hoped, his flailing limbs quickly tangled themselves with Harry's outstretched arms, and Ginny saw Harry's hand thrust away inches before it reached the Snitch.  
  
Fingers grasping greedily in the air, she felt the gentle flutter of wings against her palms and knew she'd caught it.  
  
So great was her euphoria that she neglected to gauge her distance from the field and pulled out of her free fall too late. Hanging upside down from her broom with her knees hooked over the handle she felt long sharp blades of grass increasingly dig into her back as she desperately tried to slow down enough to let go. Moments later, she tumbled onto the ground and came to a stop on her side, smile plastered firmly to her grimy face. "I caught it!" she hollered, thrusting her arm up from her prone position.  
  
There were a few moments of silence as Ginny waited for her team to start their requisite cheering but the silence stretched on, and she slowly pulled herself up onto her feet.  
  
The players had come to a stop a few feet above her, but instead of looking at Ginny, all eyes appeared to be on Harry.  
  
She watched, her mouth suddenly dry, as the shock of dark hair roughly made its way towards her on foot. From above, she could see Ron hovering, slightly battered but no worse for wear. He sent her a vaguely accusatory look, and strangely, so did Hermione.  
  
It took Ginny a few seconds for everything to register.  
  
The unnatural silence.the looks.  
  
Oh no.  
  
Her mouth fell open and the Snitch slid from her hands, fluttering languidly to the ground.  
  
It had simply never occurred to her.  
  
She wasn't supposed to have done it.  
  
She wasn't supposed to have beaten Harry.  
  
Bad enough that he was summering with the Dursleys, that he'd broken up with Cho, that he hadn't been offered Prefect, that his godfather was dead, that Voldemort had returned.she had to then go and make it worse by defeating him in the one thing he'd seemed interested in doing the entire summer.  
  
She felt downright ill.  
  
Crashing through the field, Harry finally emerged. He pinned her with a fiery look. "Ginny Weasley-"  
  
"I am SO sorry-"  
  
"- that was bloody brilliant!"  
  
With a whoop of laughter he rushed forward and lifted her in the air, knocking her breathless.  
  
A decidedly delayed cheer went up from the other players.  
  
"It was also entirely illegal," Tonks cut in, leaning over so violently she nearly slipped off her broom in the process.  
  
Lupin smoothly reached out and grabbed her forearm, hauling her upright. "Quite right, actually. You're not allowed to collude with another player on your team to impede a Seeker's progress when pursuing the Snitch. Closest thing one can do to stop it is for a Beater to send through a Bludger."  
  
This particular comment ignited an argument from Hermione about the validity of following such particulars during an informal game, especially when Ron clearly had had no idea what Ginny was going to do.  
  
George mumbled something about Lupin's mastery of the rules compared to his ability to actually play Quidditch.  
  
Fred simply made a coughing noise that sounded suspiciously like 'Percy'.  
  
For her part, Ginny wasn't paying attention to any of it. She was still dizzy with the incredible surge of warmth and heady pleasure she felt as Harry bounced her around in a tight hug. He only let her down after almost dropping her in his jubilation.  
  
They smiled at each other, breathless.  
  
"Illegal or not, that was incredibly fast thinking and flying. I thought I had you there. That'll show me I s'pose."  
  
"No, you were right, you did have me. I just fight dirty."  
  
"Should've been sorted into Slytherin."  
  
She pretended to bristle at the comment, "Sticks and stones, Harry. Sticks and stones."  
  
He laughed. "You know, Sirius once said that girls weren't reckless or mad enough to be top Quidditch players-,"  
  
Though she tried valiantly to recover, the shock over hearing Harry say his godfather's name must have shown clearly in her eyes because he suddenly stopped in mid-sentence.  
  
The others were still joking amongst themselves and hadn't noticed the increased tension in the air.  
  
A look of raw pain rippled onto his face and she quickly averted her eyes. His grief threatened to choke her. He took a deep breath and she could all but hear his emotional defenses snapping back up.  
  
"I was just.well.I suppose you've proven him wrong, eh?"  
  
She merely shook her head at the ground.  
  
"Yes. Well. I should probably finish getting packed up."  
  
And that was it.  
  
The moment was ruined forever.  
  
Except for Lupin and Hermione, no one else was piqued by Harry's abrupt jog towards the house, especially because Ginny followed closely behind to cover the haste of his departure.  
  
Once they had reached the front porch she allowed him more space to sprint alone ahead of her and up the stairs. The sound of a door slamming caused her to flinch. She felt a sudden burst of magic and knew he had warded himself into one of the upstairs rooms.  
  
Slowly, she walked around the side of the house and into the garden. With a natural ease that spoke of practice, she carefully walked to the left edge of the lawn and settled herself behind the aged trunks of two tall oak trees. She waited there patiently until she heard the assorted voices of her companions enter the house behind her.  
  
It was only after the porch slid closed behind the last one that she finally allowed herself to cry.  
  
End Part 1 


	2. The Unequal Threesome

Part 2: The Unequal Threesome  
  
Her head resting lightly against the window, Ginny gazed out at the streaming landscape. The low hum and soft rhythmic jolt of Hogwarts Express was causing her eyes to droop.  
  
Her return to school at the end of the summer was a bittersweet one. While Ginny was thrilled to be able to see Neville and Luna again, not to mention her professors, she worried about leaving The Burrow. The spoiled Quidditch game with Harry aside, it felt like this last summer was the calm before a particularly vicious storm. She couldn't quite finger where she got the notion, but past events lent credence to her hunch that most bad things tended to happen during the school year.  
  
Upon arriving at Hogwarts and receiving her time-table, she felt her fears had been confirmed.  
  
Despite the fact that she had six older brothers who had been through their O.W.L.s, Ginny found herself shocked by the number of classes she would have to take.  
  
"Let's see the damage," Ron grinned good-naturedly and held out his hand.  
  
She passed him the slip of paper in a slight daze.  
  
He let out a low whistle.  
  
Harry leaned forward, reading over his shoulder. "Wow.almost as bad as Hermione," he said, his words muffled by a mouth full of mashed potatoes.  
  
At the sound of her name, the other girl raised her head from the book she was reading. "Don't listen to them, it wasn't that bad."  
  
"Says the girl with eleven perfect O.W.L.s."  
  
"It's not a far cry from your seven."  
  
"Seven passes. Passing is a far cry from perfect."  
  
"Well, it's nothing to scoff at, Ron."  
  
"Compared to your performance, it is."  
  
"Is not."  
  
"Is so."  
  
She sighed and returned to her book. "Fine, then."  
  
Ron, however, was not to be outdone. "I scoff."  
  
"Shut it."  
  
"Scoff, scoff."  
  
"Ron!" The attempt at sounding irritated failed miserably given the fact she was clearly trying not to laugh.  
  
He nudged her playfully but she continued to ignore him, flipping the page of her book.  
  
He did it again and her book moved a fraction of an inch.  
  
She moved it back.  
  
Wicked smile plastered on his face, he nudged her repeatedly until she could no longer read the bouncing pages. Instead of leaving altogether, she simply gave in and started nudging him back.  
  
This activity escalated until the nudging turned to out and out shoving and Hermione almost fell off the edge of the Gryffindor table in laughter.  
  
Ginny watched with detached amusement and Harry cast them an odd look before his green eyes met her own. He threw her a small half-smile, which she returned before looking back down at her time-table.  
  
She had seen enough of the needless drama that erupted around teenage girls and boys to have long since vowed that she would never ever do anything to interfere with someone else's romance. It had kept her nose clean from many things, including the aforementioned display, which she viewed as a part of the 'ongoing Ron and Hermione fiasco'.  
  
Although, if she was being entirely honest, she would have to admit that she secretly hoped that fiasco would result in marriage as she had always wanted a sister and despite her occasional condescension, Hermione was her top choice.  
  
"Hey, Ginny."  
  
Looking up, she felt her heart give a slight lurch as her eyes fell on the new arrival. Michael Corner grinned back at her. Despite the fact that they had long since broken up, he had still been her first boyfriend and she doubted she'd ever quite get over that.  
  
"Michael! How was your summer?"  
  
"Not bad," he shrugged affably. "Parents were a bit of a nightmare after all those Ministry warnings so I didn't get to go on that trip I was planning, but other than that, it was decent. Uneventful."  
  
She grinned. "Same here. Sort of your standard, boring summer. Was a relief, actually." Ginny paused when she noticed that someone else at the table was all but staring at Michael.  
  
"Hey, Harry." Michael nodded casually.  
  
"Michael." He imitated the motion.  
  
Ginny's eyes flickered from one to the other as they exchanged mindless pleasantries and she wondered what that was about.  
  
Then it hit her.  
  
Cho.  
  
Gripping her glass a bit harder than strictly necessary, Ginny took a long sip and tried to quell the dark feelings bubbling up.  
  
Somehow, no matter how hard she tried, some aspect of her life ended up revolving around Cho Chang. First Harry was obsessed with her, now Michael was dating her. And, as much as she tried not to, there was a part of her that simply resented the hell out of it.  
  
Glancing over at the Ravenclaw table, it wasn't difficult to locate the beautiful Asian girl. Soon Ginny found herself scrutinizing the back of her head and wondering, yet again, what all the fuss was about.  
  
There was a time, when she was younger, that she wished she could actually be just like her. Luckily, that desire had quickly faded.  
  
Clearly, Cho was beautiful and a very skillful Quidditch player, however, that fit the description of many girls at Hogwarts. As far as Ginny could tell, she wasn't a particularly good conversationalist and kept somewhat vapid company. As common knowledge dictated, she had a tendency to cry a lot but was nice in a perfectly non-descript way.  
  
All in all, it simply made no sense. There was no substance behind the mystique. Yet, it seemed that any boy Ginny was attracted to automatically gravitated towards Cho.  
  
Just as she had started to work out the means to conduct an experiment on the subject (locate cute boys, make a list, have them meet Cho, take notes on the subsequent drama) the sounds of shuffling broke her out of her stupor.  
  
Ron was standing up, bag on his shoulder and leg half-slung over the bench. She turned to see that Harry and Hermione were already partway to the door, deep in conversation. Michael had disappeared entirely.  
  
Pushing back in her seat, she regarded her brother. "We're leaving?"  
  
He avoided her eyes. "Well," he coughed, "Harry and Hermione and I wanted to discuss.stuff..with Hagrid and we wanted to be back before it got too dark."  
  
"Ah," she said softly. "Well then, I suppose I'll see you in the common room when you get back."  
  
"Right! Right." He looked relieved and shot her a mildly apologetic smile before running off to catch up with is friends.  
  
So. This was how it was going to be.  
  
Aside from the fact that her lips were pursed into an unnaturally thin line, Ginny looked outwardly calm. Inside, her mind was reeling. She supposed it wouldn't be so bad what with them going into their exclusive Three Musketeers clique all over again-if only they hadn't been so different during the summer. She had got so used to going along with them that she had started to feel like an equal. The momentary hesitation she felt before following them on outings gradually disappeared when she realized she didn't need to be expressly asked to join.  
  
So, her brother's not-so-subtle disinvite felt like a cold slap and made her feel like she was 11 years old all over again. As though she were some irritating fourth wheel tag-along. Goodness, this was a terrible start to the school year.  
  
"Now, here's a pretty question.if Harry and Michael ever dueled for your affections, who do you suppose would win?"  
  
Ginny didn't need to turn to look at the source of the dreamy voice. She couldn't ever claim to understand the way Luna Lovegood's mind worked, but having grown up with a father with the oddest predilection for Muggle objects, Ginny had become quite accustomed to eccentricities. There was something almost comforting about them.  
  
Giving Luna's question serious thought, she sighed. "Cho Chang would, as I imagine she'd run off with the victor."  
  
Luna nodded charitably at her. "Good answer."  
  
"H-Hi all." Neville Longbottom took a seat on Ginny's other side, fiddling with a spot where his robes were caught on his shirt button.  
  
So, the scene was now complete. She felt a surge of anger. Two separate but decidedly unequal threesomes.  
  
Neville tugged on his robes so hard that the button flew clear off. Luna went to go retrieve it for him.  
  
Ginny merely fumed. How dare her brother make her feel less worthy than his friends? Make ANY of them feel less worthy? She, Luna and Neville had fought as well as they could last year at the Ministry and they didn't deserve being relegated to second-class citizenship. Neville, especially. He had stuck with Harry right through the thick of the fighting when no one else was left to help and, had the Order not shown up when they did, she had no doubt that Neville would have died protecting him. Buggering bastards.  
  
"I read that article you did in your father's magazine this summer, it was quite.well-written."  
  
Ginny glanced at Neville and realized he wasn't addressing her.  
  
"Why, thank you," Luna responded. "I didn't know you subscribed."  
  
"Oh, I started after you all printed that expose on Harry."  
  
"Understandable. That was our biggest seller."  
  
"B-but your article was really grand," he continued enthusiastically, "and informative. I didn't know that Professor Umbridge was such a talented belly dancer."  
  
"It's a little known fact."  
  
"You'd never think to look at her."  
  
"She does hide it well."  
  
"How do you go about researching something like that?"  
  
They were all but leaning over her lap to speak with each other, so Ginny gently extracted herself and said something about needing to retrieve something from her room. The rather gooey look Neville was giving Luna wasn't wasted on the youngest Weasley as she wandered off, rubbing her temples. A vicious headache was starting right behind her eyes and it seemed that her body was reacting in sympathy to her emotions.  
  
Though she wasn't about to begrudge anyone else the happiness that had proved so elusive to herself, she still felt vexed by the thought of a relationship between her two friends. It seemed Ginny was rapidly becoming the group pariah and she wasn't quite sure what she'd done to deserve it. Perhaps her brothers had all used up the standard niches at Hogwarts and the only part left to play was that of social outcast. Despite herself, she smiled at the morbid thought. Such drama so early in the school year was truly unhealthy.  
  
Crawling through the portrait hole that evening, after a predictably exhausting first day, she felt her spirits dashed again. There were several dozen students crowded around, chattering loudly. Her intention to curl up and enjoy the company of a good book by the fire didn't appear to be an option any more.  
  
"Ginny!" Colin Creevey beckoned her over "Look at all this." He waved a cardboard box in the air, "Sample gift packages from Fred and George's new shop. Everyone got one."  
  
Wondering how they had managed to bribe the house-elves into delivering them and reckoning that Dobby had probably played a hand in it, she started to join the group but stopped in her tracks when she heard a first year say, "Is that a chocolate?" just as someone else began screaming.  
  
Torn for a moment between saving everyone a load of trouble by retrieving Madam Pomfrey herself versus simply hiding in her room until it was all over, Ginny chose the latter when another student started quacking.  
  
She sprinted upstairs and shortly thereafter felt genuine relief as she slid under her bedcovers and sank into the soft mattress. Pulling her blanket firmly over her head, she reckoned that things would look infinitely better in the morning.  
  
They just had to.  
  
**  
  
True to form, life did indeed improve and Ginny was soon immersed in her classes.  
  
She found the practice of allowing older students access to newer equipment and some of the more esoteric restricted books incredibly appealing.  
  
In a way, Hermione had been right. O.W.L.s really weren't that bad. yet.  
  
On the social front, it turned out that she, Neville and Luna weren't completely forsaken by Harry, Hermione and Ron but it was still clear that there was a split in the group.  
  
Their tendency to disappear together in a secretive huddle would set Ginny's teeth on edge, but she kept her mouth shut. She wasn't quite sure how to articulate her frustration, so an outburst wouldn't do her much good.  
  
The other development (or non-development, as the case may be) was her realization that yes, Neville and Luna did really like one another. Unfortunately, his painful shyness coupled with her spacey demeanor meant that progress towards anything beyond the platonic was slow. Almost gut- wrenchingly slow.  
  
Ginny couldn't count the number of times she felt as though she were watching a particularly annoying scene from a play in which the entire audience was in on the big secret, but the script called for the actors to continue stumbling around blindly in order to sort things through.  
  
Rubbing her burning eyes, she reached for her quill.  
  
By the looks of it, she only had a few more inches to go on her Potions essay. She was lying on her stomach on the floor of the Astronomy tower and had been for the past two hours. Her arms felt numb from leaning on them for support and, despite attempting to change position several times, her neck was throbbing.  
  
She would need to find a way to conjure herself a more comfortable position next time. Normally, she wrote her essays in the library or the Gryffindor common room and only came to the tower for solitude, but Ginny had increasingly found herself drawn to the place.  
  
Signing her name to the bottom of the parchment, she flipped onto her back, exhausted but happy to be done.  
  
She had just started to drift into a light sleep when the soft sound of footsteps filled her ears.  
  
"Gin?"  
  
Harry's voice sounded hushed and worried.  
  
She opened an eye at him but otherwise didn't move. "Yes?"  
  
"Sorry. Didn't mean to wake you. I came in and saw you on the floor and I thought that-I mean-I wasn't sure you were okay."  
  
She knew what he had been about to say and stared at the ceiling for a few moments before responding. "It's all right. I'm sorry I scared you."  
  
They never spoke about what happened in the Chamber of Secrets and this was the first time he'd come close to mentioning it. Aside from the occasional nightmare, Ginny had all but come to terms with the events of her first year. Her way of dealing had been to intellectualize the experience and file it away as useful information for later. Sharing with Dumbledore had also helped enormously. Where Harry was often reticent to speak with the headmaster, Ginny had leaned heavily on him and felt much more at peace for it.  
  
Sometimes she felt like urging Harry to do the same, but stopped herself because the advice seemed a bit too intimate and their friendship too fragile.  
  
"Potions essay?"  
  
The question was a rhetorical one so she merely tipped her head to look at him and smiled.  
  
"Mind if I join you?"  
  
"Not at all." Her voice reflected her surprise, but if he noticed, he chose not to acknowledge it. She hadn't the foggiest idea what he was doing there in the first place, especially because he hadn't brought any homework with him. She had simply assumed he would leave when he found her there.  
  
In contrast to the grace he normally showed, Harry stumbled to the ground next to her with all the elegance of a falling cow.  
  
The exhaustion radiated from him and deepened their mutual silence.  
  
She could just see the sky from out the top of the window from her position on her back and the outline of his profile from where he sat cross-legged next to her.  
  
She thought back to the end of the summer when they had lain out in the yard with Ron and Hermione, staring up at the sky and just enjoying the stillness of things.  
  
Ron had proven to be a bit less comfortable with the quiet and had often filled it with mindless chatter, but Ginny loved those moments. She knew that Harry's brooding silence tended to drive his best friends insane, but for her, it meant she could spend time with him without any pressure to come up with something witty or interesting to say. As much as it pained her to admit it, she was still somewhat tongue-tied and self-conscious around The Boy Who Lived.  
  
"Where were you this afternoon?"  
  
She was startled when he broke the silence and somewhat confused by the question.  
  
"Where should I have been?"  
  
"Well, at Quidditch practice."  
  
"Oh, that," she sighed. "Katie told me that since you'd been cleared for play, I was on the reserve list and could try out for an open position next week."  
  
There was a pause.  
  
"Well, that's unfair," he finally said.  
  
"No, not really. They only chose me because you were unavailable."  
  
"Yes, but you won us the Quidditch Cup last year. Fat lot of gratitude they're showing now."  
  
She shrugged into the darkness, "I have enough trouble keeping up with O.W.L.s this year. I might not try out anyway."  
  
"What?" He sounded shocked, "You have to try out! Alicia and Angelina are both gone, so we're down two Chasers. You've got the perfect build for that."  
  
It was vaguely disconcerting that Harry noticed she had the perfect build for anything, but Ginny kept that particular thought to herself. "S'pose I'll think about it. Might be nice to have something to do instead of studying in the library all day."  
  
"Ruddy right, it would," he responded cheerfully. "You know, I'm glad that you're talking to me nowadays."  
  
She mulled over the statement briefly before venturing a response.  
  
"Is there a reason why I shouldn't be?"  
  
He chuckled. "No, I meant.you know.talking instead of.well, hiding."  
  
He had noticed. Although she hadn't been sophisticated enough to take pains to hide her infatuation with him her first year, the subject was still a cause for discomfort.  
  
"Oh. Okay," she managed weakly  
  
"That came out stupid.sorry." He sounded embarrassed.  
  
Desperate for a change of topic, she rushed over his apology. "No.it's.well, I'm glad you could spend part of the summer with us instead of with your horrible relatives."  
  
At this, Harry let out a bark of laughter, making her jump.  
  
"Wasn't all that bad, actually. More of an annoyance than anything else."  
  
Ginny's brows knit in confusion, "But your cousin, Dudley."  
  
"Is completely terrified of me. He thinks I'll use magic on him. Fat sod couldn't catch up with me anyway, even if he did want to try something."  
  
She could hear the smug edge to his voice and couldn't help but smile into the darkness. There was something decidedly intoxicating about Harry's recent roguish behavior and she felt herself respond to his words as warmth pooled in her stomach. Her physical reaction was perhaps the most disturbing shift in the way she regarded him. Before, the mere sight of him had her red for hours, stammering endlessly and tripping over herself. Her heart would flutter in her chest like an overactive hummingbird and she would feel nothing but that unpleasant, blushing heat.  
  
Now, she found her responses less extreme, but no less intense. There was an almost lazy desire that licked at her when she observed him. When coupled with often her cool admiration of his Quidditch skills, she found herself left with thoughts she knew she shouldn't be having.  
  
Perhaps her brothers were right, girls really did prefer the deviants. Then again, if that were true, it was only a matter of time before she would feel compelled to find Draco Malfoy and snog him senseless. Truth be told, Harry was simply starting to act like a typical 16-year-old boy and, as exasperating as that could be at times, it was normal. She reckoned that if anyone deserved some slack for being normal, it was him.  
  
"So what brings you up here, anyway?"  
  
At this, she heard him remove his glasses, setting them with a clatter next to her head. "Well, I just came back from practice with my ears ringing from Katie's screaming." He paused. "I thought Wood was a pain, but Katie is just barking mad. She's much worse than Angelina ever was. You should have heard her. In fact, I'm surprised you didn't hear her. Dogs in Galway must have heard her."  
  
Ginny snorted. It was almost a relief that the twins had left Hogwarts as she had no doubt they would have simply egged her on. Speaking of deviancy, it was no wonder that her brothers all did so well with women. Except, perhaps, for Percy. But that was because he was a bookish prat. Ginny chalked up Ron's relative inexperience to his fixation on Hermione. Based on conversations in the washroom, she had rather nauseating, detailed information on what several Gryffindor girls wanted to do with her youngest brother.  
  
"Anyway, the common room is just too bloody noisy. Hermione is on a rampage about something or another that Ron has done and Ron has taken over our dormitory room to complain about Hermione to Dean. Slytherins are camped out in the library and I suppose I just needed somewhere that I could hear my own thoughts."  
  
"Well, if you want privacy, I could always leave."  
  
"No, it's all right. You were here first. Besides, you're the first person that I've come across all day that hasn't been unbearable."  
  
"Ah. How gratifying to know that my efforts haven't gone to waste," she responded dryly.  
  
"Oh.well, it's not that I don't enjoy your company, it's just that-"  
  
"I'm teasing, Harry."  
  
He could hear the smile in her voice and so stopped. Soon thereafter, the mood shifted back to silent contemplation.  
  
Though curiosity gnawed at Ginny, she refused to spoil the moment by inquiring further after his day. She did not feel comfortable having lengthy conversations with him yet, nor did she feel fully honest in their budding friendship.  
  
Fortunately, she also did not feel the weight of Harry's eyes, veiled from moonlight, as they regarded her carefully in the shadows.  
  
End Part 2 


	3. A Familiar Problem

Part 3: A Familiar Problem  
  
One thing that remained unaffected by Ginny's emotional turmoil was her performance in class. With the constant threat of O.W.L.s pounding atop the fifth years, her professors were as quick as ever to give out loads of homework, which she had handled tolerably well. However, barely into the second month of school, she was starting to feel the strain of it all.  
  
So, when Professor McGonagall sent her a message asking her to attend a meeting for another study group, it was all she could do to bite back a groan.  
  
When she arrived at the Transfiguration classroom, Ginny was a bit surprised to see only a handful of students there. She slid into a seat between Susan Bones from Hufflepuff and Terry Boot from Ravenclaw. Colin Creevey, the only other Gryffindor present, threw her a smile over his shoulder before going back to his conversation with Cho Chang. Blaise Zabini, the solitary Slytherin in the room, sat a bit apart, near the corner window, looking for all the world like he wanted to leave.  
  
At precisely seven pm, a very familiar, albeit slightly temperamental, cat leapt into the classroom and made her way to the front. Ginny watched the switch to human form with fascination, despite having seen the transformation several times before.  
  
"Blaise Zabini, there's a seat right here up front. No point in spreading out if there's only six of you."  
  
Reluctantly, the dark-haired boy stood up and shuffled his way to the first row, slumping into a seat next to Cho.  
  
"Excellent. Now, I'm sure you're wondering why you're here. Professor Dumbledore and I have taken note of you all and the fact that you show exceptional promise in your Care of Magical Creatures class. We've had numerous conversations in the past about augmenting our curriculum here at Hogwarts but have never quite felt we had adequate resources. Unfortunately, current.circumstances as they are-- " at this, she looked uncharacteristically shaken "-- our hand has been forced, as it were."  
  
Ginny had no doubt that the circumstances her Head of House was referring to was the return of Voldemort and she noted that that fact hadn't escaped anyone else present. Even Zabini looked mildly uncomfortable.  
  
"As such," McGonagall quickly regained her composure, "I am forming a new class."  
  
Her announcement was greeted with horrified looks.  
  
"Knowing how difficult it is for those of you preparing for O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s, the class is not compulsory-,"  
  
Blaise made as though to stand up.  
  
"Mr. Zabini, if you please."  
  
He sat back down at McGonagall's impatient wave.  
  
"However, you are required to attend the first 6 classes, on a trial basis. I assure you, the lessons will only reinforce what you are learning and some of you might find it very useful for your examinations."  
  
Ginny and Colin exchanged a knowing glance. She experienced a pleasant thrill of excitement for having been chosen and certainly planned on staying past the first six classes. By the looks of it, so did he.  
  
"In this class we will be covering material that is rarely, if ever, covered during a student's tenure at Hogwarts and usually saved for Aurors. Our primary concern will be working with Familiars."  
  
At this, Cho gasped, and an interested shine entered Blaise's hazel eyes.  
  
Ginny's heart plummeted.  
  
Working with Familiars sounded like an incredible opportunity but she wasn't sure she could afford it. Most importantly, she lacked an animal. She would have asked Ron to borrow Pigwidgeon, but she knew that owls were not acceptable Familiars. She might have asked Hermione to borrow Crookshanks, but the point of a Familiar was to bond oneself to it and that would mean taking ownership of the cat.  
  
She realized, with a shudder, that she might have inherited Scabbers and was suddenly glad for not having an animal. There was no telling what might have happened had she bound herself to him. With a start, Ginny noticed that McGonagall was still talking and she hadn't heard a word of it. Luckily, Colin appeared to be taking notes. She'd just have to get them later.  
  
"You can expect the first week's syllabus on your pillows by this evening," McGonagall said, a note of finality in her voice, "That is all. You may return to your dormitories."  
  
Ginny stood and pulled her rucksack onto her shoulder.  
  
"A word, Miss Weasley," McGonagall beckoned her to the front.  
  
Worried that she had been caught daydreaming, she told Colin to go ahead without her.  
  
"Yes, Professor?"  
  
"Miss Weasley, you realize I asked you here because you are naturally gifted with magical creatures and one of the best charms students we've seen in years."  
  
Her heart swelled. "Thank you."  
  
"Now, in regards to obtaining a Familiar. I recognize that you come from a very large family and that the expenses involved in such a venture might be prohibitive for your participation in this class. As I would very much like an opportunity for us to work together this year, I have some funds set aside for you and have, in fact, bought you a Familiar already."  
  
The kindness and authority with which McGonagall spoke almost took the sting out of the fact that the whole school seemed to know how poverty- stricken her family was. Money wasn't something she cared much about most of the time, but accepting help from others still felt like charity and, as poor as she was, she felt she had her pride.  
  
Since McGonagall had already gone to the trouble of buying her an animal, however, she simply blushed and thanked her again.  
  
"His name is Rufus, but I imagine you can rename him."  
  
It took Ginny a few seconds to understand what was going on but it all became clear when she came face to face with a handsome green snap turtle. "Oh my!" She took hold of him gingerly, marveling at the shiny mosaic surface of his shell.  
  
"Hagrid gave me this list of instructions on how to care for him. Mind you, he isn't an ordinary turtle. Rufus has quite the propensity for magic so please do be careful with him."  
  
Nodding absent-mindedly, Ginny thanked her teacher for a third time and walked out of the classroom in a daze. A turtle! Of her very own! She had never been so thrilled.  
  
**  
  
Ginny's happiness had transformed into an all-encompassing, choking panic two days later when, on the eve of her first Familiar's class, Rufus went missing. Enlisting the help of her friends, they combed the grounds carefully, but with dismal results. Shouting 'accio Rufus' all over an English school had sounded like a good idea at the time, but after releasing what had to have been the twelfth bewildered-looking student they had come across, Ginny made a face at Harry.  
  
"You'd think that parents would have come up with something different to name their children," She said acidly. "There are seven of us and not one is called Rufus."  
  
Harry shrugged. "Don't look at me. I'm not named Rufus."  
  
Hermione and Ron came trooping up to them, equally empty-handed. Harry looked concerned. "Ron, what happened to your face?" The other boy's cheeks and mouth were covered in purple and orange warts.  
  
"Rufus Marks, 7th year Ravenclaw with not a bone of humor in his body." Hermione's voice shook with fury. "He hexed Ron even AFTER I explained our mistake and if I have anything to say about it, he'll be in detention for the rest of his life."  
  
Ron made a burbling sound that Ginny took to mean he was in agreement.  
  
"C'mon, Ron, let's get you to Madam Pomfrey."  
  
"Harry, what am I going to do?" Ginny whispered softly after the pair had disappeared back into the school.  
  
"We could try to catch something."  
  
She shook her head. "No, Familiars are rare. Not just any animal will do.  
  
"You could.well, you could have Hedwig." There was an edge of pain in Harry's voice which he hid admirably well.  
  
"Oh Harry," she sighed, too tired to dwell on it. "That's incredibly sweet, but I'm afraid owls won't work, either."  
  
He simply patted her arm in response. "Well, don't worry. We'll work something out."  
  
But by bedtime, they hadn't.  
  
Ginny's last ditch plan had been to sneak over to Hogsmeade and buy a new animal. So, she had gone to Ron and he'd instantly emptied his pockets for her but their combined savings still failed to amount to more than a few Galleons. It was far less than what she needed and though she knew Harry and Hermione would gladly chip in, she couldn't bring herself to ask them. Class was scheduled for the following morning at seven so she didn't have time to owl her parents for help.  
  
Ginny tried to believe that McGonagall would be understanding, but she couldn't shake the terrible sense that she had been reckless and irresponsible. It was bad enough that she couldn't afford her own Familiar and the school had to pay, but then to lose it? It was inexcusable.  
  
For the briefest of moments Ginny felt the hot stab of shame. She hated being poor. Hated it with all her being. The many years of watching other girls go shopping for new robes and putting on fancy glamours before dances came rushing back to her full-force. She recalled Charlie's inability to start his job on time because he'd had to work an extra two months at their local tavern before he could afford the requisite dragon riding gear. The first time Ginny ever owned a brand new pair of robes was shortly before she'd started Hogwarts, courtesy Bill. It hurt sometimes to think about her oldest brother, who was so far away that she rarely saw or heard from him.  
  
And then, because she was a sensible girl, she took a deep breath and steadied herself. Self-pity was a dangerously addictive thing and Ginny knew better than to fall into that trap.  
  
She slid under her bedcovers, missing Bill with a ferocity she couldn't explain. She wished, more than anything in the world, that something good would happen for once. Asking for Harry seemed a bit out of the question, but perhaps if she concentrated hard, she would get Rufus back. Clearing her mind, Ginny tried to will her Familiar back to her with all her strength, but it was no use. She felt so jumbled and raw that her battered emotions kept getting in the way.  
  
With a rather pathetic sniffle, she sank down under the covers and fell into a restless sleep, unaware that somewhere, on the other side of the castle, someone had heard her.  
  
A bird silently took flight.  
  
**  
  
It was quite early when Ginny awoke the following morning, and this was primarily due to the fact that somebody started screaming. Never much of a morning person, it was ten full seconds after she had jolted awake and sat straight up in her bed, blearily searching for the source of the commotion, when her eyes focused fully on the scene around her.  
  
She bit back a scream of her own.  
  
Surrounding her in a tight circle, were the most colorful, beautiful selection of birds she had ever seen in her life. For the most part, they regarded her with silent, gentle eyes, but a few closest to her shrieking dormitory mate looked mildly offended by the noise and fluttered indignantly closer. Thunderstruck first by their physical beauty, she was quickly entranced by the strong, pungent scent of old magic that hung in the air around her.  
  
"Blast it all, what on earth is-" Tripping over her dress gown, her hair in a messy bun, Hermione came to an abrupt halt. "Oh dear." After drawing a shuddering breath she snapped back into Prefect mode. "Charlotte Burns you stop that ridiculous screaming this instant." The command cracked like a whip and had its intended result as the room instantly fell silent. A crowd had already started to gather as sleepy girls stumbled their way over to the fifth year dormitory, trying to see what had happened. Looking back at the group, Hermione rolled her eyes as they stared past her, utterly agog at what they saw. Impatiently, she picked out the only one already dressed. "Lavender, go find Professor McGonagall."  
  
An alarm sounded from the bottom of the stairs, and Hermione sighed. The boys were awake and clearly gossip had traveled far enough to compel a few of them up to the girls' dormitories where they weren't allowed. "Katie, do me a favor and tell Ron to hold the boys downstairs before that alarm drives me mad."  
  
Murmuring assent, the Gryffindor Quidditch captain ran off, pulling her night robe around her slender frame.  
  
Ginny gasped when a large green colored bird fluttered brazenly onto her bed and hopped up to perch in front of her chest. She heard the most wonderful silver chiming when it opened its beak and she laughed, reaching out a finger to stroke its neck.  
  
"Ginny, don't touch," Hermione's eyes were weary, "wait for Professor McGonagall to ar-"  
  
"What's the meaning of all this? Girls, get back to your rooms." A force to be reckoned with on most any occasion, Minerva McGonagall was at her best in the middle of a crisis. The group obediently scattered as she barreled down the hallway and covertly regrouped a few feet behind her.  
  
Hermione stepped aside and allowed her Head of House through. To her credit, McGonagall didn't flinch when she saw the birds scattered around the room, despite the shock she felt. Ginny raised a pale hand in sheepish greeting and dropped it when her professor's eyes narrowed.  
  
"Hermione, get Professor Dumbledore. Virginia Weasley, what have you done?" She made to take a step towards the young girl but reared up abruptly as a rather large white bird hopped in front of her.  
  
"N-nothing, Professor, I swear." And then, the previous evening came rushing back to her. The loss of Rufus, the attempt to will him back. She winced. "Actually, Professor, now that I think about it."  
  
She quickly explained the situation and was greeted with a frown. Fortunately, she was spared the inconvenience of a response because moments later Professor Dumbledore came billowing down the hall. Apparently, someone else had had the presence of mind to send for him earlier.  
  
"Albus, thank heavens. Just look."  
  
Ginny didn't discern the slight tension in her headmaster's stance until it evaporated when he laid eyes on her.  
  
"Ah." A slow smile crossed his face. "I see. How delightful." He made his way to her bed, causing several birds to hop out of his way. "Now, now, Miss Weasley, no cause for alarm."  
  
Oddly, the bed barely moved when he took a seat. "So there you are. I was wondering where you'd flown off to last night."  
  
Ginny turned to see that he was addressing a handsome red and gold bird. It bowed its neck slightly in his direction before gracefully alighting on his shoulder.  
  
"Fawkes!" she cried. She hadn't recognized him in the sea of color. And that's when it hit her. She was surrounded by phoenixes. Incredibly rare, the birds were extremely reclusive and many speculated they were in danger of extinction. Judging from the number in her bedroom, she wasn't so sure.  
  
"Indeed, this does appear to be Fawkes' work." He fixed her with a twinkling blue gaze. "Do you know the significance of these.visitors, Miss Weasley?"  
  
She shook her head mutely.  
  
"Out of the way, Prefect coming through!"  
  
Professor McGonagall closed her eyes as though she regretted her decision to temporarily disable the alarms surrounding the girls' dormitories. The price she paid to save her hearing appeared to be manifesting itself into an even larger headache. She didn't turn to face the source of the pounding footsteps behind her. "Ronald Weasley you will slow down and lower your voice."  
  
Ron looked about to object.  
  
"No buts." She held her hand up. "If you swear to keep quiet, I will let you through."  
  
He nodded swiftly, flanked by Harry, and, in the back, a breathless looking Hermione who had clearly done all she could to keep them away and had just chased them up the stairs. Briskly, McGonagall waved all of them in front of her, somewhat startled when Neville Longbottom managed to dart under her arm and gain last minute entrance. Sending a deadly glare over her shoulder, she prevented Colin Creevey and Dean Thomas from attempting the same. Ginny was so focused on her conversation with Dumbledore that she didn't notice them entering the room.  
  
"Last night you lost your Familiar. As you explained, you called out for him unsuccessfully. However, though Rufus failed to hear you, Fawkes did. He carried your call and this--" Dumbledore gestured around him "-- was the result."  
  
"Oh dear."  
  
"Now, now, no worries. In fact, you should be quite proud of yourself because this is very unusual indeed."  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"It's quite simple, Miss Weasley. While the phoenix is known for its restorative powers, one can never choose it as a Familiar."  
  
"But then, how did.well, how did you come to choose Fawkes?"  
  
He smiled. "Fawkes chose me."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You see, Virginia, these birds--" Dumbledore leaned forward as though sharing a delicious secret. "They are volunteers."  
  
"I-I don't understand, sir. Volunteers for what?"  
  
"For you, my dear."  
  
And then she understood. These birds, these magical, wonderful birds that she had loved ever since one of their brethren saved her life, were here to volunteer as her Familiar. And with that understanding came a powerful emotion she couldn't quite name. She was honored, and so very, very humbled. While she had wished for something good to happen to her, she had never expected anything like this. It was almost too much. She felt the bitter sting of tears at the simple awe of it all.  
  
The ancient magic she had sensed in the room seemed to understand her turmoil and suddenly rushed forth, wrapping itself around her warmly as though it were sentient. She felt herself stabilize and the prickling behind her eyes faded.  
  
"You only need to choose," Dumbledore said softly. "Any one you want from those assembled before you and the others will depart, with no hard feelings, I assure you."  
  
It was an impossible task. How to choose amongst the most beautiful creatures she had ever seen? She had barely ever possessed a new set of robes, let alone a phoenix. Not for the first time, she felt rather unworthy of all this fuss. This was the type of thing that happened to Harry, not to her.  
  
Just as she thought of Harry, her eyes focused on a delicate purple phoenix with deep blue eyes and she felt her heart leap. There was a warmth, an understanding between them and she felt it reach out gently, its power snaking around her hand and up her arm like a silver caress.  
  
"That one," she breathed, pointing at the violet bird. As if in response, it took flight and fluttered to perch gently on her bed.  
  
"No, no," Ron broke in, breaking the moment. "That one completely clashes with your hair. Pick that nice green one or the smart looking white one." McGonagall cast a silencing charm on him without so much as a backwards glance.  
  
Ginny glanced up at her brother, somewhat surprised to hear his voice, as she hadn't even realized he was there with her. Unbidden, her gaze was drawn to his left, to that familiar shock of dark hair and the smiling face of Harry Potter. It was at that moment that her phoenix hopped closer, its iridescent feathers brushing her arm, and she felt a jolt of power surge through her. Her eyes slid shut for a moment and when she opened them, she didn't know quite what to make of what she saw.  
  
Sparkling gold and sliver threads had appeared everywhere connecting individuals in the room to each other. She looked down in amazement at the gorgeous gold lattice that emanated from her chest. The threads sparkled and jumped merrily under her gaze as she followed them to where they ended, which appeared to be with her brother.  
  
Ron was glaring at the back of Professor McGonagall's head, undeterred by the comforting hand Hermione had placed on his shoulder. In addition to his connection to Ginny, he had a fairly complex set of medium-sized threads connecting him to Hermione and Harry. Though they were split equally, Ginny noted that Ron and Hermione shared a set of delicate silver strands that were unique.  
  
Almost immediately, her eyes fell upon what was by far the most impressive connection in the room. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it lay between Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall. Some of the threads were the thickness of Ginny's arm and the colors ranged through so many colors of gold and silver that she quickly lost count. Unlike the other connections she saw, which only seemed to move when people addressed or looked at each other directly, Dumbledore and McGonagall's threads were vibrating non-stop. The edges were constantly blurry despite the fact that they weren't even facing one another.  
  
She wondered if they were aware of the connection and were using it, even now, to communicate wordlessly.  
  
Looking back down at herself, Ginny was pleased to notice that she also had thin gold threads connecting her to Hermione and Neville. Squinting, she finally located the delicate pattern that connected her to Harry. The threads were so thin their color was indeterminate.  
  
If anything, her romantic heart would have expected to have the sort of blinding connection to Harry that McGonagall and Dumbledore shared but that clearly wasn't the case. Scrutinizing the rest of the room, she realized that no one else had that sort of tenuous connection and suddenly, she was indescribably sad. It seemed to verify her worst fears-that her pull to Harry was distinctly one-sided and internal. There was no grand scheme, no greater plan, no epic romance.  
  
In her sorrow, Ginny neglected to realize that she had caused the strings between them to vibrate almost wildly.  
  
For an instant, everything narrowed and that silent tug she felt when she was near him amplified ten-fold. It was as though the edges of her vision blurred and stretched so the only thing discernable in the entire room was Harry. Details sharpened and she could see the colors of the birds reflected off his glasses. Light goose bumps trailed up his arms and torso since the air was chilly and he was clad only in pajama bottoms. She licked her lips unconsciously.  
  
The occupants in the room were chattering along even now, but voices seemed muffled to her.  
  
The magic around her shifted again to a shimmering, laughing energy and it was suddenly like she could feel the threads and not just see them. They were connected deep in her body, just below her heart. She felt their trembling energy dip lightly into that dark place inside her that she kept hidden and was jolted when an unexpected flash of hot lust flooded forth. She thought she heard Harry gasp but suddenly Dumbledore was speaking again and her altered view of the world dissolved back to normal. Aside from some residual light-headedness, she might as well have imagined the whole thing.  
  
Looking around, she realized that a lazy procession of birds had started to fly off through the large dormitory windows, and, with equally languid motion, a number of students wandered back to their rooms.  
  
In the end, she settled on calling the purple bird Maeven and arranged to meet with Dumbledore later in the day to discuss how to care for it.  
  
Given all the excitement, Professor McGonagall postponed Familiars class until the following week and hurried away to dress before breakfast, ignoring Ron's pantomimed request to be released from the silencing charm. Taking pity on him, Hermione obliged.  
  
Within half an hour, relative peace had been restored for everyone in Gryffindor except, perhaps, for Ginny who found herself with quite a bit to think about and Harry who found himself taking an uncharacteristically cold shower that morning.  
  
End Part 3  
  
A/N: Please let me know what you think. Compliments and Constructive Criticisms are always welcomed! 


	4. Taking A Stand

Special thank you to Ashwinder, Chi and Irene for serving as beta readers for this story. Their comments have been invaluable. Final big change: it has been graciously pointed out to me that Angelina and Alicia have graduated from Hogwarts by Ginny's fifth year. So, for the sake of canon, the unshakable Katie Bell will play the part of Gryffindor Quidditch captain.  
  
Part 4: Taking A Stand  
  
Aside from a slight ripple of interest the first few days, the commotion surrounding Ginny's phoenix had all but died down.  
  
The fourth session of her Familiar class had gone surprisingly well, but she was finding herself increasingly worn out. This day's work had found the students guiding their Familiars through an obstacle course that McGonagall had designed to test each animal's particular strengths and weaknesses.  
  
Cho's mottled green and yellow lizard (which she would have named Cedric, had it not been for the good sense of Terry Boot who convinced her not to) had taken three tries before it managed to get through.  
  
The sight of Susan Bones's timid white mouse entering the course had initially caused stifled laughter from Blaise Zabini but that stopped abruptly when the animal issued a rather effective engorgement charm on itself, allowing it to grow big enough to push away a rock in its path. There was something somewhat terrifying about a ten pound mouse.  
  
Blaise's own animal was a handsome purebred Doberman. After spending the first ten minutes of class trying to convince the others that the dog was a young adult, and not the puppy it appeared to be, he then explained that it was particularly vicious so it would be best for the others not to touch him. Ginny thought his speech would have been a tad more convincing had the puppy not been licking her outstretched hand and blinking up at Maeven the entire time, clearly enamored with the bird.  
  
"Has a taste for human flesh, he does," Blaise said as he swiftly yanked the dog away from her and turned his attention to Susan, "Best keep that mouse out of his sight too. I can't be responsible for his predatory instinct."  
  
He looked exceptionally aggravated less than five minutes later when it became clear that the Doberman's predatory instinct consisted of playfully batting the mouse from side to side, licking it, and whining softly when Susan removed it.  
  
Judging from the strained looks on her classmates' faces as they battled with their animals, Ginny reckoned she had the best partner. Maeven was surprisingly easy to communicate with, as the bird had a natural intelligence and instinct that meshed well her own. Unlike the other students who had initially watched their animals blunder about the course in confusion, Maeven needed little prodding to know what was expected of her.  
  
Ginny soon found that the one sticking point was when they disagreed on something. She was still struggling with the concentration required to communicate with a sentient, non-human creature and birds seemed to have a quicker thought process than most.  
  
One obstacle in the course consisted of a rather narrow passage coupled with a wind charm. After a few unsuccessful attempts to navigate through, Maeven tilted her neck and indicated that she planned on flying over the hindrance. Unfortunately, Ginny could clearly see above the passage from where she was standing and there was a sticking charm there. If her phoenix flew into it, she'd be transferred back to the start. The difficulty came in conveying that information.  
  
'Through. Go through. Not over. Through.' Beads of perspiration started to appear on her forehead as she cleared her mind and repeated the message like a mantra, focusing on the purple phoenix's eyes.  
  
Maeven fluttered to a stop, but the skeptical feeling that instantly struck the back of Ginny's mind made it clear that the message wasn't fully penetrating.  
  
Changing tactics, she tried to visualize the sticking charm and hold that picture in the hopes that that would make more sense. After several seconds of no response and an increasing sense of anxiety, she gave up.  
  
As a final effort, she attempted to convey the danger in emotional terms, reinforcing her initial request with what she hoped felt like trust. She likened the effort to swimming with her eyes open underwater. In response to her attempts she saw colors and a few indistinct shapes, but little that made any discernable sense. She gritted her teeth from the exertion.  
  
And suddenly, for all of a moment, everything snapped into clarity and it was as though Ginny could see the passage directly in front with her. Just as soon as it appeared, it disappeared. Luckily, the vision seemed to have some impact on Maeven, who renewed her efforts at forging ahead.  
  
Once she emerged, ruffled and harassed on the other end, she spotted sticking charm. Ginny felt a prickling sensation that felt a bit like gratitude. The next thing she felt was Professor McGonagall's hand come to rest gently on her shoulder.  
  
"Good job, Miss Weasley." Her voice sounded warmer than usual and Ginny felt the happy thrill of a job well done.  
  
Exhausted by the time the bell rang, she pushed open the door of the Transfiguration classroom and joined the stream of Hogwarts students on their way to their first class. A short way down the hall, her progress slowed to a full stop.  
  
She wrinkled her nose at the crowd swelling around her and found herself wishing she'd taken one of the more obscure passages to Charms. Now she was going to be late. There appeared to be some sort of bottleneck effect taking place at the door to the stairs. Someone shouted 'Fight!' just as one of the Ravenclaw prefects pushed his way past her.  
  
Whatever it was, she hoped her friends weren't involved.  
  
"Hey, Gin. Nice job in class today."  
  
Ginny glanced over and noticed that Susan had come to stand beside her, looking distracted. She followed the other girl's gaze to where Blaise was located, five or six students ahead of them. He was in deep conversation with another boy.  
  
"Lovely boy, that one. I've often wondered what side his bread is buttered on."  
  
Ginny nearly choked with the sudden urge to laugh.  
  
"You wouldn't happen to know, would you, Gin?"  
  
"No, actually. Sorry. I couldn't even wager a guess."  
  
"Pity."  
  
She couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. Susan after Blaise? A Hufflepuff and a Slytherin? It was a bit like a chipmunk lusting after a snake.  
  
"Oh, but he's just beautiful, isn't he?"  
  
And, for the first time, Ginny tried to step back and regard Blaise Zabini as something more than just a Slytherin.  
  
He was tall-a good deal taller than Harry, as a matter of fact- with a lanky frame. His hair was a rich brown color that seemed permanently set in a polished, aristocratic wave off of his face. (Again, nothing like Harry's shock of messy dark locks.) His features were a bit too chiseled for her liking, but something about his chin and nose leant an overly-sharp look to him that detracted from what would otherwise be a classically handsome face. Ginny found that endearing somehow.  
  
"Love his eyes," Susan murmured, "That gorgeous, murky green. Like sea glass."  
  
Yes, the eyes were an interesting bit. They were much softer than one would expect with such strong, dark features but they worked to somehow balance his appearance.  
  
"Yes, quite handsome." Ginny wanted to add that he reminded her of a younger, less bitter version of Professor Snape but chose not to, given the fact that Susan would likely take that observation as an insult. Unlike her brother and his friends who still considered their Potions professor a 'greasy git', Ginny had always sensed the tinge of sadness in his harsh demeanor. When she coupled that with the unyielding support he received from Dumbledore, she started to suspect he was a better person than he made himself out to be. Finding him at the Black mansion as a part of the Order the summer after her third year was the ultimate vindication of her opinion. She also hadn't missed the subtlety with which he acted to stop Crabbe from choking Neville after Umbridge had caught them in her office. Her own fierce protectiveness of Neville meant that he had sealed himself into her good graces that day.  
  
A part of her also strongly suspected that there was something about his tragic, tormented past that appealed all too well to her romantic sensibilities.  
  
"Oh no," Susan abruptly bumped into her arm and ducked as Blaise half turned towards them. "Oh no. I think he just looked at us. Oh no."  
  
Ginny pondered briefly whether or not she had been like this with Harry. It was a wonder he spoke with her at all. "You do realize he's looked at you before, yes? I'm afraid the secret of your existence has long been out."  
  
"Mocking me now in my moment of anguish? Oh, you're heartless." Susan's light blue eyes sparkled with good cheer. "Listen, I've got to get to Arithmancy. This'll be the second time this week I've been late and you know how Professor Sinistra gets. Good luck with the Quidditch tryouts this afternoon, though you won't need it. They'd be mad not to take you." And with that, she pushed down the hall in the opposite direction, undoubtedly fighting her way back to access a different route.  
  
An odd flutter started up in the pit of her stomach as Ginny realized she hadn't really given the Quidditch tryouts much thought. She had been trying not to build it up in her mind. Unfortunately, she found after her conversation with Harry that she ached to play and would feel very badly if she didn't make it back on the team.  
  
Maeven's beak slid gently under her ear, a sweet caress aimed at calming her.  
  
Smoothing the bird's silky feathers, she picked up her rucksack. The crowd had started to thin enough for her to proceed and she soon found herself moving at a steady clip towards Charms. She hoped Susan was right.  
  
~*~  
  
As Ginny's broken luck would have it, things started off badly the moment she set foot on the Quidditch pitch. Swinging her broom off her shoulder, she was immediately greeted by a very agitated Harry Potter. The sight of him caused her to heart skip two beats and then thud almost violently to catch up.  
  
It was horribly wrong of her to admire him physically, but it was almost impossible not to. She hadn't seen him in uniform for nearly a year and had almost forgotten how smart he looked in the Gryffindor red and gold. She noted that he was a good deal more developed than when he last donned the outfit. His shoulders were broader, causing the robe to fall gracefully behind him instead of engulfing his frame as it used to. His thighs were also much more defined and she could almost make out the way the muscles bunched as he strode towards her. Sensing dangerous ground, she forced herself not to think any further.  
  
"I'm sorry that you have to try out at all, Gin. I argued with Katie but she won't budge."  
  
Paying scant attention to what he was saying, she was instead staring at the bat in his hands. Oh heavens, he'd been helping with Beater tryouts and she even found the rough-hewn tan gloves he wore sexy.  
  
Pull it together.  
  
"I-it's all right, Harry. Not your fault. Just point me in the right direction and let's get this over with." She was as anxious to do that as she was to get away from him and hoped he'd chalk up her stammering to nerves.  
  
Much to her irritation, he decided to escort her directly to where Katie was standing with a clipboard. The blonde girl was shielding her eyes and looking up at a second year that was trying to navigate through the air. "You're banking to the left, Walters. Left. Left, I say! No, your other left.Okay, that's it. Thank you. You can come down now. Down. Down, Walters, come down!" She let out a sigh and looked took a few notes, "Good grief." Her eyes fell on Ginny. "Nice timing. Weasley, you're next."  
  
Ginny looked at her nervously. "What shall I do?"  
  
"Let's start easy. Your first task is to get in the air. Then follow my instructions." Katie was scrutinizing her board.  
  
This was worse than the first time, Ginny realized. Before, the team was in dire straits for players and she'd had nothing to lose by trying out. Now, everyone had seen her play and she already had a sense of belonging. The problem with her solid past performance was that it set up certain.expectations.for the future. Mustering up all her courage, she kicked upwards and shot up until she was thirty feet off the ground.  
  
Katie glanced at her. "Okay, that's enough. You can come down."  
  
Her heart fell. Over? Already? What had she done? Sinking back to the ground, she heard Harry speaking in particularly sharp tones.  
  
"Oh, shut it, Potter," Katie waved him away as though shooing a gnat.  
  
Ginny approached slowly. She would force herself to see this through.  
  
The Quidditch captain didn't even look up from her notes as she spoke, her voice dry with sarcasm. "Brilliant job, Weasley. Never seen such a clean ascent. Congratulations, you're one of our new Chasers."  
  
For a split second, both she and Harry wore matching looks of disbelief.  
  
His quickly turned to anger.  
  
"But, if you were just going to-I mean-blimey, why force her to go through all that worrying if you had no intention of actually choosing someone else?"  
  
"Rules are still rules, Potter." Katie smirked at him, "Even when they're formalities. Now get back to Beater tryouts. Gin, I've left your uniform in your old locker. Practice is tomorrow afternoon at four. Oh, and see if you can find that brother of yours for me. Bloody fool was so nervous he let three of six Quaffles through so I let him stew on the Keeper position for a while. Might have been a tad cruel of me. Don't want him harming himself before our next game, you know."  
  
Too overjoyed to be upset, Ginny obediently scampered off and came back shortly thereafter, hauling Ron with her.  
  
By the end of the hour, Gryffindor's Quidditch team had added a total of four new official players to their ranks and gained six new people in reserve slots. The pitch was buzzing with a frenetic, happy energy as students dispersed back to the castle for dinner.  
  
Hooking her left arm through her brother's, Ginny took a chance and did the same with Harry on her right side. She was pleased when he didn't seem to balk at physical contact and instead playfully jerked her into step with him. Despite some awkward stumbling, they stayed like that all the way to the Great Hall, shouting a rousing, off-key rendition of 'Weasley Is Our King' every step of the way.  
  
~*~  
  
Dinner was a particularly rowdy occasion this evening, what with the energy of Quidditch tryouts coming to an end. Even students who hadn't made the House teams were relieved it was over and quickly allowed themselves to be drawn into the good cheer by their friends.  
  
Ginny all but sparkled with happiness. She felt lighter than she had in a long time and was currently in the process of convincing herself that it had nothing to do with the amount of attention Harry was showering on her.  
  
She had been sorry to break linked arms when they entered the Great Hall but was thrilled when he slid into the bench directly across from her. They had been talking non-stop ever since and he hadn't so much as glanced at anyone else. In a way, it was disconcerting to be the focus of those green eyes for so long and she felt the gentle stirrings of a blush starting at the tips of her ears if she thought about it. So, she resolved not to.  
  
"Hey, Ginny," Neville tugged at her sleeve so insistently she finally turned to him.  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"Susan, Luna, and I are going to meet right after dinner because Professor Lupin went over the subject of Familiars in our D.A. meeting this morning and it just seems so interesting I was hoping to learn more. I know you're probably exhausted from Quidditch tryouts, but we'll be in the library for a while. Would you be willing to bring Maeven along when you're done?"  
  
Ginny simply stared at him for several seconds before blinking slowly. It was taking time for what he said to sink in, but thus far, only 'D.A.' and 'Professor Lupin' had made it. She was having difficulty getting beyond that.  
  
"Pardon?" The inquiry was quiet but carried such an edge that Hermione and Ron stopped in mid-conversation.  
  
Neville spoke a bit louder. "Professor Lupin covered Familiars in our D.A. meeting this morning an-,"  
  
"I got that part," Ginny responded, her voice sharp.  
  
His mouth abruptly snapped shut and he stared at her. "Okay. W-well, Luna, Susan and I are going to the library after din-,"  
  
"Forgive me for asking an incredibly stupid question, but since when is the D.A. still meeting?"  
  
Neville suddenly looked nervous and glanced at the others as though asking for help but was simply greeted with confused stares. "Well since .that is to say.. since this morning."  
  
"I see." The hurt was knife-like and terribly amplified by how happy she had been moments ago.  
  
D.A.  
  
Dumbledore's Army.  
  
She had come up with that name for it. Their meetings had been one of the few bright spots of her fourth year as it was the only refuge any of them had had from terrible Professor Umbridge. She had sealed some of her closest friendships in the time they all spent together. And now, all those warm memories were torn asunder as she realized they had been meeting without her.  
  
Neville seemed vaguely ill, "D-didn't anyone tell you? Didn't you get the invitation?"  
  
"No."  
  
At this particular revelation, everyone at the table suddenly went very, very still. Unfortunately, Ginny's talent as a Seeker transferred itself into every day life and it only took a swift glance at her housemates to reveal who was responsible for that slight. Ron was the one who gave it away. Though his head was pointed down at his dinner plate, she could see he was looking in Harry's direction under half-lidded eyes.  
  
Her dark gaze snapped to The Boy Who Was About To Die, but he was dutifully avoiding her and making a good show of shoveling food into this mouth.  
  
"Why didn't you send her an invitation, Harry?"  
  
The question came from Hermione and Ginny was glad for it, as she wasn't sure she had the presence of mind to ask it herself. She was also certain it wouldn't have come out so civil had she been forced to make an attempt.  
  
He swallowed his food before looking up at her. "Well, there wasn't much of a point. The Familiars class meets at the same time."  
  
"It would have been nice to have been asked, at the very least." Her voice was strained, even to her own ears.  
  
"Sorry." He shrugged casually. A bit too casually.  
  
Her body felt numb but her cheeks felt hot and she knew they had turned red in her anger. She couldn't quite bring herself to care.  
  
"Did you invite Cho?" The words burst from her lips before she could stop them. And suddenly, she wasn't sure what was worse, the fact that she had just stooped so low as to ask such a blatantly jealous question or the fact that Harry actually had the audacity to hesitate before responding.  
  
"Well.yes."  
  
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hermione take a slow, deep breath.  
  
Ginny's mind flooded with possibilities. There were so many things she could do right then. She could scream at him. She could simply get up and walk away and never speak to him again. Dump her food in his lap. Jump across the table and throttle him. Bat bogey hex him into the next century.  
  
A small part of her brain seemed to be urging her to act sensibly, trying to remind her of how much Harry had just done for her at Quidditch tryouts, of how nicely he had been treating her. Calm.calm...calm.But then why the HELL did he invite bloody CHO to something that actually mattered and not HER?  
  
"Why?" With so much built up, she was rather disappointed with herself for not managing more, but her voice was quivering dangerously. She felt Neville grasp her hand under the table and the gesture reinforced her strength.  
  
Instead of looking apologetic, Harry looked annoyed, "Well, I reckoned she might actually consider it."  
  
Ginny had heard many stupid things in her life, but at that moment, she didn't think she'd ever heard anything stupider.  
  
"What? What makes you think I wouldn't have considered it?"  
  
"Okay," he bit our angrily, "fine then. Ginny, Professor Dumbledore has contracted Professor Lupin to teach a study session based on the D.A. syllabus from last year. Would you like to join?"  
  
His mocking tone horrified her.  
  
"No!" She fired back at him with equal anger. Even though the response would only confirm his point, it was the lesser of two evils. In cases such as these, the lie was always easier. The truth, that she would have sincerely considered the possibility had she only been asked properly, would simply leave her more vulnerable.  
  
"See?" He glared at her as though he couldn't understand the fuss.  
  
It was then that Ron caught her eye and the sympathy on his face sent her teetering on the edge.  
  
Cry. That's what she was going to do. She no longer had a choice in the matter. Instead of something properly impressive like a scream or something dignified like silence, her anger was shaping itself into tears. Stupid, weak, pathetic tears. Her legs were trembling too much to be of any use and the lump in her throat was growing at such an exponential rate that she was having trouble breathing.  
  
Suddenly, she felt a strong grip on her forearm as someone hauled her to her feet.  
  
"Let's go." The voice was rough with such anger that she scarcely recognized it.  
  
Turning to her savior, Ginny fell into shock. She was so dumbfounded by the look on Neville Longbottom's face, all tears were momentarily forgotten. His mouth was set in a stony frown and his skin was pale from an emotion that had nothing to do with fear. For the first time in his life, there was no stumbling, no clumsiness in his gait. With supreme dignity, he escorted her off of the bench and out of the Great Hall.  
  
When they entered the library, Luna and Susan were already there, seated in a back corner. The two girls had clearly missed all the drama, but instantly knew something was amiss when they caught sight of her.  
  
Their matching looks of concern was all it took to send Ginny into harsh, dry sobs that she was trying to quiet even as her friends rushed forward in comfort. Part of her realized that Neville had released her arm and slumped down in the stacks, trembling.  
  
When she was finally calm enough to relay the story, she saw Luna settle next to him. Unlike with Harry, Ginny didn't have to explain her anger to them. They instantly saw the betrayal inherent in his actions.  
  
As Susan set to smoothing her jarred nerves, Ginny heard Luna whisper something to Neville.  
  
"That was very good, what you did. Very brave." She laid her head gently on his shoulder and patted his hand in a comforting manner. He simply put an arm around her.  
  
It was all Ginny could do not to start crying again.  
  
Such wonderful simplicity. Why couldn't she have that with someone? That uncomplicated, easy understanding. It was what she yearned for. What on earth was wrong with her?  
  
Turning away, she set her focus on recomposing herself.  
  
Though a bit shaky at first, the foursome finally did get around to the original purpose of the meeting and spent a good amount of time focusing on schoolwork.  
  
By the time they split off to go to their separate dormitories, Ginny was feeling a bit better but still couldn't quite understand it. She couldn't even begin to fathom how Harry could at once be so kind and so hateful towards her. Just when she thought she had achieved that understanding, that she had found the key to getting past his brooding, controlled personality, he proved her wrong.  
  
Perhaps most frustrating was the way the anger lurked at the edges of her mind, keeping sleep at bay for a very long time.  
  
End Part 4 


	5. An Unexpected Pain

Part 5: An Unexpected Pain

Ginny awoke the following morning to a terrible headache and the realization that she would have to skip breakfast to get to her first class on time. She was also greeted with the rather disturbing sight of several purple feathers lying on the bottom of Maeven's cage. The phoenix was entering her late life cycle and it was only a matter of time before she transformed back into a chick.

Forcing herself out of bed, she went through the perfunctory motions of getting dressed and it wasn't long before she was making her way out of her dormitory, Maeven perched on her shoulder. Her fight with Harry had left her feeling out of sorts and exhausted, but the dark burning anger she'd felt the evening before had faded. Some would say it was a virtue, but right then Ginny was irritated by her inability to hold a grudge. She generally found it too draining to be continuously angry with someone but in this case, Harry owed her an apology and she planned on stubbornly holding out until she got it. 

"Ginny."

She froze momentarily at the unexpected sound of his voice. As it turned out, she didn't have to wait long.

When she'd come downstairs, the common room had looked deserted, but he was sitting against the wall facing the portrait hole and she hadn't seen him. Now she was torn. She could walk on and make him work for her attention, or she could be the bigger human being and hear him out.

"Ginny, please hold on. I-I've been waiting for you to come down."

He sounded as tired as she felt and that knowledge brought a twinge to her heart. It wasn't the first time she felt herself loathing the power he unknowingly lorded over her. Sighing, she turned towards him and saw a genuine look of contrition on his handsome features. 

"Can we sit?"

"We'll be late for class, Harry."

"It'll only take a minute."

She frowned slightly at this, since his apology really deserved more than a minute, but allowed herself to be seated on the sofa.

"Look, Dumbledore only came to speak with me about resurrecting the D.A. a week or so ago. I meant to tell you about it, even though your Familiar's class conflicted, since I knew you'd want to know. It's just that…what with Quidditch tryouts and classes…I just never got around to discussing it with you and then Neville beat me to it. I'm sorry. Really sorry."

She let his words sink in for a few moments before responding. "Do you know why?"

He stared at her. "Do I know why what?"

"Do you know why you should be sorry, Harry?"

He blinked. "Well…well, because it hurt your feelings and I didn't mean to do that."

When it became clear she was expecting more, he rushed on to elaborate. "It's like this…you were a part of the D.A. as much as the rest of us were and I should have been more sensitive to that. I wouldn't have liked it if you had gone and resurrected the club without telling me, you know? I would have felt left out."

She fought off the depressing urge to laugh. That whole last part sounded like a direct quote from Hermione Granger. Oh well. Ginny reckoned she shouldn't have really expected Harry to understand why she was upset. In the end, she knew that if she ever wanted to make peace with him it was going to have to be enough that he was admitting he had been wrong even though she knew he hadn't properly worked out why. 

As they said, beggars could not be choosers and when it came to Harry, Ginny felt the perpetual beggar.

"All right, then." She stood up and he quickly did as well. "You're forgiven."

He sent her a relieved smile as they walked to the portrait hole. "That wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it would be."

"Well, better be careful then as I'll make you put some effort in to it next time."

"Hopefully you won't have the opportunity for that." His green eyes sparkled when he smiled at her. "Besides, we're teammates now. It wouldn't be right to be fighting."

She bit her lip. Now why did he do that? Why go and ruin a perfectly mediocre apology by saying something like that? Now, she would forever be plagued by the feeling he'd only said he was sorry to help Gryffindor's chances of winning the Quidditch Cup.

Ginny's displeasure deepened the minute they stepped out of the portrait hole, as he was already dashing away from her. "See you on the pitch, then."

Murmuring her farewell, she headed off in the direction of the Potions classroom, unable to stop herself from feeling vaguely…cheated.

~*~

Shuffling down the hall after her last class of the morning Ginny's head was all but swimming with thoughts of school, Quidditch, and Harry. She was so distracted, in fact, that she almost didn't notice the man standing in the hall until she had almost passed him.

"Professor Lupin?"

At the sound of his name, he turned towards her, his face breaking into a grin. "Ginny Weasley."

They had grown close enough over the past year that she would have normally hugged him in greeting, but he was with a pretty dark haired woman she didn't recognize, so she settled on a handshake instead.

"How are you?"

"I'm doing all right. It's quite nice to be back at Hogwarts, actually. It's been a while hasn't it?"

Nodding happily, she regarded him with sparkling eyes. "I'm so sorry I didn't come to see you earlier. I only found out you were teaching again yesterday evening."

At this, his features darkened, "Yes, I know. I heard about that. I should probably be the one apologizing to you, Ginny. When I told Harry to take care of inviting everyone who might be interested, I simply assumed he would have the sense to include the person who actually named the original group. Sometimes, I just don't understand him…"

"Oh, it's not your fault. He's already apologized-it's fine now." A white lie at best, but Ginny was so overjoyed to see her former Defense Against The Dark Arts Professor in the halls of Hogwarts that she didn't want to spoil the moment talking about her fight with Harry.

"Well, all I can say is that we miss you in class. It's never quite the same with only one Weasley around. You were always one of my best pupils."

She blushed happily at the compliment. "Actually, that remind me, now that you're teaching the study session, will you be teaching full time soon?"

He paused. "Actually, I don't know. I'd like to but…there's still some resistance from up above. People can be funny sometimes, Ginny. Dumbledore had to use quite a bit of influence to get me this position and I'm very grateful for it. I don't know how I'll ever repay him."

It was then that she noted that, despite his slightly gaunt and sad look, he was dressed much more nicely than she last remembered. The shabby, threadbare robes that he usually wore had been replaced with a dark blue set that looked brand new and smartly cut. She knew that his being a werewolf made it incredibly hard for him to find a job and this change of attire indicated that even though he'd only been given a part time position, he was being paid handsomely for it. If possible, her love for Dumbledore soared even higher. 

"So, don't I even get a hello?"

Ginny turned to the dark haired woman, startled that she recognized the voice. "Tonks?"

"Didn't recognize her without her hair being some odd color, eh?" Lupin smiled.

"Oh, shut it." Tonks rolled her eyes. "How are you, Ginny?"

"Good!" Coming to grips with the real identity of the woman standing before her, she suddenly began to recognize similarities. The slender, athletic form was the same, as was the heart-shaped face, but the features looked softer and more distinctly feminine than she remembered. Gone was that slightly rough-and-tumble tomboyish exterior that she had come to associate with her favorite female Auror. "I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you…you just look so…so…different. Are you under cover or something?"

Ginny immediately regretted the comment when her friend looked decidedly embarrassed. "No, actually, I'm not under cover. This is my…uhm…my natural state."

"Your what?"

"That's what she was born looking like," Lupin supplied helpfully.

"Oh."

"Plain, isn't it?" Tonks sighed. "Remus's fault. I lost a bet and this was my punishment. I have to wander around like this until the end of the week and I'm already bored out of my skull."

"No, it's not plain at all." Ginny's mind suddenly lit on how to describe her friend's appearance. "I just imagine that you look more like a 'Nymphadora' than a 'Tonks' now."

At this, Lupin let out a brief chuckle. "That's precisely what I told her. I think we should start calling her Nymph and see if it catches on."

"Don't you dare." Tonks shot him a clear warning look before turning her attention back on Ginny. "Every time he does it I'm looking around for my mother as she's the only one who insists on calling me that. Utter nightmare is what it is."

"So where are you off to now, Ginny?" Lupin asked.

"Lunch, sir."

"Ah. Lunch. Fancy that." Tonks gazed up at him from under her lashes, smirking slightly.

"Oh all right." He let out a resigned sigh. "Just let me put these in the room and we'll go."

"Finally!"

"I'll just be a moment, Ginny."

She watched as Lupin snatched up the paper bags that had been lying at his feet and disappeared into the DA room. The moment the door clicked shut behind him, Tonks grabbed her arm and pulled her a few feet down the hall.

"How is Harry?" Her voice was pitched low so as not to be overheard and Ginny took that as a cue to do the same.

"Seemingly normal," she whispered. "He doesn't talk to me as much as Ron or Hermione so you might want to ask one of them. Why? What's going on?"

"It-it's nothing." Tonks looked as though she were struggling with a thought. "Look, if I tell you something in confidence, you have to promise me that it really doesn't go beyond you."

Ginny's heart leapt to her throat in anticipation. "Of course."

"To be honest, I'm worried about Remus." Her brows furrowed slightly. "He hasn't taken Sirius's death very well at all, but you know his type-so quiet and brooding. I think he gets away with wallowing in his depression because he's normally so reserved that most people can't tell the difference. Ever since the start of the summer he's done nothing but go from home to work and back. He hasn't set foot in Grimmauld Place since…well…since that night. Today is the first day I've been able to coerce him out to Hogsmeade for lunch and that alone was a battle. I think it'd help if he and Harry spoke to each other about it but I don't think they really have."

Ginny looked confused. "Have you mentioned this to Harry?"

"No, I haven't. We're not really that close and I wouldn't know how to approach him. I also don't want him thinking he's just doing this for Remus's benefit. I think working things through together will help Harry too. I was hoping you'd suggest it to him."

"Oh no, Harry and I aren't that close either."

"Don't be absurd. You two were thick as thieves this summer."

"Yes, but not for the important stuff. This is really the sort of thing for Ron or Hermione."

"Now Ginny, you know that I love Ron but as a fellow bungler, we can recognize our own. I know he would just mess it up somehow. As for Hermione, she just has such a tendency to over-think things…" Her voice trailed off and she darted a glance at the door. "Listen, I'll talk to you more about this later. You might get something from me via owl some time in the next few weeks. Keep an eye out for it."

Lupin emerged then, empty-handed and clearly noting the distance the women had traveled but choosing not to mention it. "Ready then?"

"I was born ready," Tonks responded cheekily. "I've just been stuck waiting for you all my life."

The smile that broke over his face was reluctant, if genuine. "Well, as I'm conveniently here now, perhaps we should be off." He turned to his former student, "It was nice seeing you Ginny. Do feel free to stop by more often. I'm usually here for a few hours after class, planning out our next lesson and I don't mind some company every now and then."

"Of course, sir. I'll definitely come by." She made an immediate mental note to do so. Even if she couldn't bring herself to get Harry to talk to him, that wasn't going to prevent her from doing her part. Having just spoken to Tonks about it, his sadness seemed so much more pronounced to her now. The shadows around his eyes looked much deeper than they did before and it caused her chest to ache painfully.

Never one for heartfelt goodbyes, Tonks started hauling Lupin down the hall by their linked arms. "Nice talking to you, Gin. I'll see you around." 

Waving, Ginny watched the couple until they disappeared down the stairs. It was a bit bewildering how, every time her life entered a normal routine, something would happen to jolt her back to all that they had lost. Her argument with Harry seemed relatively insignificant next to the emotional turmoil Lupin was experiencing and Ginny felt ashamed at her lingering anger. Voldemort had damaged a lot of people that night at the Ministry and she wasn't sure how long it would take them all to realize the extent of that damage. 

More importantly, she didn't know how long it would take them all to heal.

~*~

Despite the rocky start early on, the novelty of attending her first official Quidditch practice of the season as a legitimate first-string player overtook Ginny's mild depression and buoyed her mood enormously throughout the day. By the time she was walking out of the girls' dressing room clad in full uniform, she felt a rush of excitement that lifted her spirits even more.

"Ginny!"

She looked up and saw her brother hovering in front of the goal posts, waving down at her, just as the Quaffle went sailing in behind his back.

"Weasley!" Katie screeched so loudly that they both jumped. "What have I told you about focus? How are you supposed to block anything if you're looking around like a buggering fool? I didn't put you on this team to meet and greet everyone who walks under your nose."

Ron turned towards her, surprise written on his face. "What?"

"Are you daft, Weasley? A goal. You do remember what those are, don't you? Those are the things you're trying to prevent."

When Katie proceed to launch into a particularly condescending description of what a Quaffle looked like, Ginny thought it best to get into the air before she called attention to herself. Kicking up to join the others, she settled her broom next to her fellow Chaser, Dean Thomas. He was watching Ron's predicament with a look of mischievous pleasure but broke off long enough to send her a wicked grin. 

"That was for all those times his stupid alarm woke us up at some ungodly hour while he slept through it."

She chuckled to herself. "Poor Ron."

"Ah, she'll peter out eventually." Turning his attention fully to her, he swiveled his broom around. "Smart team we have here, don't you think?"

"Oh absolutely! I admit I'm a bit nervous, though."

"You?" A note of incredulity entered his voice. "What do you mean? You're a bloody veteran – a Quidditch pro."

"Hardly."

"Oh, so it must have been that other Ginny Weasley who won us the Quidditch Cup last year."

She blushed. "It was a team effort and a lucky break that Cho didn't get to the Snitch first."

"Oh please, you flew circles around Cho ruddy Chang." He made a derisive sound deep in his throat. "Brilliant performance, that day. Utterly fearless."

"Oh, Dean, that's sweet of you to say…"

He darted her a look and pitched his voice lower. "I'm glad you and I made Chaser, Gin. I couldn't have asked for a better partner."

"Well, thank you." She smiled at him warmly.

"Screams like a banshee, our Katie does." 

Startled, Ginny looked up as Harry descended upon them from above. They moved over to give him room.

"Is she always like this?" Dean asked.

"Yes, unless she's in a bad mood." Harry threw Ginny a cheeky grin. "You needn't be nervous, Gin. You'll do splendidly."

Her heart did an irritating back flip in her chest and she forced a smile. "Thanks, Harry."

"Besides, you're already her favorite Weasley."

As if sensing she was being discussed, Katie abruptly reared on the trio. "What is this? A bleeding social? I turn around for five minutes and suddenly everyone's on break? Thomas, since you're so eager to take advantage of your teammate's distraction you can go retrieve that Quaffle. I want you and Ginny practicing break-neck point passes up the corridor. Potter, go find those Beaters and bring the Snitch back with you from the trunk."

Dean came back with the Quaffle at roughly the same time the two new Beaters, fourth year Amir Khan and third year Chelsea Hammond, finally appeared. Ginny and Chelsea exchanged smiles. Though she didn't know her very well, Ginny felt an instant bond with the only other new female player on the team. She had long heard the nasty comments other students made about Chelsea's rather brawny physique and hoped that they would stop now that her build was one of Gryffindor's greatest assets.

"Okay ladies and gents, let's get to it." Katie's whistle let out an ear-splitting noise and everyone jumped to attention.

From that point on, Ginny was kept exceedingly busy with assorted drills and exercises. The only occasional distractions were the mindless bits of advice Harry kept giving her ("If you balance the Quaffle on the broom handle and crouch over it, there's less air resistance.") and Ron's occasional teasing as she flew past him. She quickly realized that Harry had been right; Katie ran a much more grueling practice than Angelina ever had. However, she also noted that their new Quidditch captain was a fair and thoughtful leader. The few times she lost her temper, Ginny felt she was rather justified.  Katie was also decidedly nicer to the girls than the boys. Ginny reckoned it might have something to do with the fact that the girls on the team concentrated their efforts completing their tasks accurately instead of wasting time contradicting the initial order.

Nonetheless, it was a minor relief when she heard the sound of the shrill sound of the whistle ending practice. As though pre-programmed for it, the players automatically stopped what they were doing and flew over to where Katie was hovering, clipboard in hand.

"Okay. I think that's enough for our first day." She was scribbling notes. "Tomorrow we'll be focusing on Beater and Chaser combined exercises. Ginny, I want you to pair up with Khan. Thomas is with Hammond and I'll rotate between the pairs.  Potter, I need you to be at least three seconds faster on the Sigmund Dash by the time we play Ravenclaw next month. A bit less chitchat and a bit more concentration might do the trick."

Harry's ears reddened and he scowled at her.

Katie ignored him. "Weasley, good job overall."

Ron looked pleased.

"Just be sure to keep your head out of your arse so you can see where you're going."

His face fell.

"Don't worry, Ron." Ginny patted his arm gently while trying to look sympathetic. "It started out like a compliment, which is…well…an improvement."

He glared at her but her brown eyes sparkled back with such good cheer that he gave up on the pretense of being angry and simply grinned. "You going to dinner?"

"Indeed, I am, but I'd like to change first. Wait for me?"

"Of course we will," a voice said from behind. "We wouldn't leave without you anyway." 

She turned to see Harry hovering there and, despite herself, felt her heart soften. "Thanks, I won't be long." He simply nodded and she quickly took off towards the dressing room. 

Maybe he was putting in an effort after all.

**

As dinner was the first time the Gryffindors had reconvened as a full group since Harry and Ginny's fight the evening beforehand, it proved an awkward affair, especially when Neville sat down. He was clearly trying to slide into a seat next to Ginny at the end of the table without being noticed, but that plan was foiled by Hermione.

"Hi Neville," she said in an unnaturally loud voice.

Harry started slightly and looked up from his food, his cheeks slightly flushed. "Neville…hey." 

Never one for confrontation, Neville looked about to respond but surprised Ginny when his eyes flickered to hers instead. Realizing the unspoken question, she nodded slightly, causing his round face to break into a smile.

"Hi Harry," he said cheerfully before tucking in to the platter of potatoes in front of him.

Ginny hid a grin behind her napkin. Boys. Apologies. So simple and free of dramatics. She envied them sometimes.

"Brilliant job this morning in Defense Against The Dark Arts, by the way," Harry continued.

Neville simply ducked his head in embarrassment. "Aw, it wasn't much."

"What happened?" she asked, instantly intrigued.

"Neville here accomplished his first fully formed Patronus," Harry said proudly.

"In front of a Boggart, no less," Ron chimed in.

"Really?" Ginny recalled having practiced Patronuses with the D.A. but managed to keep the slight sting she felt out of her voice.

"No, they're making it sound better than it was. It didn't even last more than a few seconds." Neville looked very much like he wanted someone to change the topic of conversation.

"Mr. Firenze certainly thought it was something," Ron said. "He gave Gryffindor twenty points right afterwards."

"That's fantastic!" Ginny smiled, relieved to again have a fair and trustworthy Defense Against The Dark Arts professor. She reckoned it would be nearly impossible for anyone else to handle the responsibility of teaching that course while simultaneously holding a joint instructorship with Professor Trelawny in Divination, but the Centaur made it look easy. In her mind, he was the next best thing to having Professor Lupin back. "What shape did the Patronus take?"

The boys looked vaguely uncomfortable.

Neville coughed. "Well…see….it was there so briefly…" 

"Yes, and it was moving so fast that it was hard to make out the specific shape," Harry finished.

"Looked like a chicken, to me," Ron said brightly. "Ow!" He rubbed the spot on his arm where Hermione had smacked him without even looking up from her book.

"Yes, well, it was clearly some sort of-of…erm…bird. Larger than a chicken. Maybe a...a turkey?" Harry cleared his throat. "Definitely a winged creature. Very vicious looking, actually."

"Perhaps it was a rabid turkey," Ron blurted out. He flinched instantly thereafter as Hermione raised her hand again, but it was just to turn the page. 

Neville's face was so close to his plate that his nose was almost touching his food.

"Ah." Ginny couldn't quite come up with anything appropriate to say that would prevent her from laughing so she chose to simply return to her meal.

After relaying the story for Luna's benefit during their post-dinner walk around the Herbology greenhouses, Ginny almost did laugh.

Upon its completion, Luna turned to Neville with a look of grave seriousness and wisdom in her pale blue eyes. "The turkey is one of the animal kingdom's most noble creatures so you should never be ashamed of it. I should wish to some day be lucky enough to have a turkey as my Patronus." 

Had the words come from anyone else, they would have sounded facetious, but Ginny knew Luna was wholeheartedly sincere and something about that made her affection for her friends swell even more. She could scarcely believe she had ever considered them inferior to her brother and his friends. While it was true that the Three Musketeers had a good deal more notoriety than she, Luna and Neville did, they weren't entirely perfect. For one thing, they certainly bickered a lot more than her immediate circle did. They also were in detention a good deal more often. Perhaps, instead of being lesser, Ginny and her friends were just different. 

And, she reckoned, if one really wanted to get technical about it, they were also just a tad better.

~*~

It was much later that evening, as she was sitting in the library doing homework, that the euphoria of Quidditch practice and dinner finally faded into a thoughtful silence. That was when Ginny truly felt the weight of her conversation with Tonks.

Though she tried to concentrate on her Arithmancy homework, the vision of Professor Lupin's sad, dark eyes kept breaking in between the numbers. She glanced around at her companions who all seemed to be thoroughly engrossed in their respective assignments. Although Ginny wasn't quite sure what Neville was doing, it looked important. Hermione and Ron were working on Charms homework. Harry appeared to have a Potions essay. Luna was reading the new issue of _The Quibbler_, her lips moving silently as her pale blue eyes glided across the page. She squirmed slightly as her chair seemed to dig uncomfortably into her back and the sound of Neville's quill scratching against the tabletop started to drive her mad.

Finally giving in to the need to stand, she grabbed the list of books she planned on checking out for her Muggle Studies essay, wordlessly pushed away from the table and made for the stacks.

She was just pulling the first book out from a shelf when she realized she wasn't alone.

"Hey Gin."

Unsure of why he'd followed her, she forced herself to only spare him a glance before consulting her list of books again. "Harry, hi."

There was a brief period of silence as she stared at the sheet of parchment, waiting for him to talk. Once it became clear that he was content to just stand there, she gave up and started heading down the aisle for the next book. He followed at her heels.

" Hey, Gin, I-I was sort of wondering…"

Oh Merlin, he was going to ask her for a favor. "Yes, Harry?" Oddly frustrated, the prompt came out harsher than she'd intended.

"Uhm. I was wondering if you were okay. You seemed sort of distracted back there."

"Oh did I?" For a few seconds she was concerned that he hadn't actually just said what he'd said and that she'd simply wished it so vividly that it sounded real. Harry? Closed, confusing Harry inquiring after her emotional well-being? She cocked her head, regarding him in a new light. "Well, I'm fine, actually. Thank you."

He looked distinctly unconvinced. "You're sure?"

"Yes, I am." She forced a smile. "Honest." The urge to confess it all to him then, to pour her heart out about how scared she was about Professor Lupin and how much she missed Sirius, was almost overwhelming. But still, she held back. She knew from past experience (the events surrounding her father's snake attack coming most prominently to mind) that Harry shut down when provoked. She didn't want to risk that just yet.

"Listen, if it's about last night…"

Suddenly it became blindingly clear what he was on about and the wonder she'd been feeling seconds before faded. He thought she was still angry with him. She started to feel very, very tired.

"No, no, it has nothing to do with that." 

"Oh." He looked relieved. "Okay."

She nodded at him encouragingly and turned back to her list, unwilling to watch him depart now that he was safe in the knowledge that he was not the cause of her distraction.

"Then…then what is it about?"

Her head snapped up again in surprise.

He suddenly looked embarrassed, as if realizing that he may have overstepped his welcome. "I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want…"

Ginny knew an opportunity when she heard one and almost instinctively plunged forward, preventing his attempt to close off again. "Well, it's just that I bumped into Professor Lupin today outside of the DA room."

Harry's eyes widened. "Listen, Ginny, like I said this morning, I'm really sorry."

She shook her head swiftly, cutting off the rest of his apology. "No, again, it's not about that. I just hadn't seen him in at least two months and… Harry, does he look especially sad to you?" At the way his gaze slid from her eyes to the floor, she knew the answer to her question.

"I-I don't know."

"Well, he does to me. Tonks said she's worried about him. She says that he's been different ever since… well, ever since what happened to Sirius." Despite not being able to admit that he died, Ginny was pleased with herself for having forced the name out without flinching. 

"Ah." The sound was vague. Uncomfortable.

Unfortunately, having already got this far, she wasn't about to back down. "It's just that ever since then, I've been thinking. I've been thinking about you, and Neville, and Hermione and Ron and…" Her breath hitched slightly in her throat. "And I just can't imagine what it would be like if-if you all were gone and I was the only one left. Do you ever think about things like that?" As she had expected, he didn't respond. So, she forged on. "And then I just got to thinking about this morning and how angry I was with you and how stupid it is because…well…because it just doesn't matter." 

"It wasn't stupid," he cut in suddenly, his voice sounding thicker than normal. "You were right to be angry at me-" 

"No, Harry. I know that I was right to be angry, but that's not what I mean." She took a deep breath, so terrified that he'd walk away from her that she was speaking twice as fast as normal. "What I'm trying to say is…in life, stuff like that shouldn't matter because you just never know, do you? I mean, aside from this thing with you, I've been thinking about how none of us have spoken to Percy in months because of the way he's been acting. It's like we're right to be angry with him for being a prat and for making Mum cry but he's still my brother, and I still love him, you know? I just…what with Voldemort back now and all…I just don't want the last thing I remember of him to be the fact that we were in a fight."

The lump in her throat caused her voice to break slightly over the last word, but she didn't think he'd noticed. For, no sooner had she finished her sentence, than he was reaching forward and drawing her against him in a fierce hug. She was shocked at first by the unexpected contact, but quickly relaxed into his arms, her cheek pressed tightly against his chest and her arms pinned down to her sides by his vice-like grip.

This was nothing like the joyous embrace he'd given her after the Quidditch game when he'd bounced her around in circles and she'd felt as though she were still flying. This hug was made for stillness and quiet. Nevertheless, it still caused her heart to race so she was somewhat relieved when he released her in response to her next question.

"What was that?" He stepped back and looked down at her quizzically as his robes had muffled her words the first time.

"I said, would you be willing to talk to him about it?"

"To Percy?"

"No, to Professor Lupin."

Harry paused. "I-I don't know. I don't think I could help. Maybe he could talk to Dumbledore."

"No, Harry, it's not the same. You know it's not the same. He was one of Sirius's best friends and you're his godson. Nobody else really knows him the way the both of you did. No one else who's left, I mean."

Unable to meet his eyes, she stared at where his hand had come to rest on the shelf next to him. He was gripping it so hard that his knuckles were white from the effort.

"Besides." She used her last bit of courage.  "I think it might help you, as well. To talk it through with him…"

He looked at her suddenly, his dark green eyes curious. "This really bothers you, doesn't it?"

She stared back, slightly startled. "What?"

"The fact that Professor Lupin is sad…it really bothers you, doesn't it?"

"Well, yes." She didn't bother to mask her confusion. "Of course it does. It bothers me and it's been bothering Tonks too. No one likes to see their friends sad, Harry."

"Fine, then," he said abruptly.

"What?"

"Fine then, I'll think about it."

"Really?" It was more than she had hoped for.

"Yes."

She smiled at him. "Thank you."

He shrugged, clearly out of sorts at her beaming expression. "It's nothing."

But they both knew that, when it came to Harry, it certainly wasn't nothing. He looked away. "I should get back to work, I s'pose, unless you need help finding books?"

"No, I think I can mange." She was a bit relieved he was going back to the table, as it would give her a chance to wipe the ridiculous grin off of her face and she knew she'd never be able to manage it in his presence. It would also give her time to beat down the impending Harry fantasy that was fluttering on the edge of her consciousness.

"Okay then. Let me know if you change your mind." And with that, he turned and walked back down the aisle.

Once he had turned the corner, she leaned against the stacks and sighed. It was hard living with the knowledge that, no matter what she did to compose herself, in the end it didn't really matter.

Someplace deep inside, Ginny knew that whenever he left he would always be taking her heart with him.

**

End Part 5


	6. Invitations

Chapter 6: Invitations

When Ginny found the heavy purplish silver envelope on her pillow, she was struck with two very different emotions. The first was surprise that it had appeared in the time that it took for her to take a shower. The second was a deep sense of foreboding that this was yet another sample from her brothers' joke shop and that opening it would send her into a crazed fit of some sort. As she had slept late yet again, there was no one else in the room to confirm or dispel her fears although she did notice a few other envelopes on other peoples' beds.

Examining the shiny surface, she finally decided that it was a bit too girly looking to be from the twins and mustered up her Gryffindor bravery to tear it open. Inside, there was a darker purple sheet of parchment with enchanted silver script that showed itself only a few words at a time. As soon as the next phrase was darkening into being, the ones before it were disappearing into nothingness. Ginny found the pattern so riveting that it took her several minutes to put together the actual message:

_Dear Friend of the DA  
You are Cordially Invited  
To A Surprise Christmas Party  
In Honour of Professor Remus Lupin  
To be held on December 20th at 7pm in the DA room  
Guests Welcome  
RSVP to Host ~ Miss Nymphadora Tonks_

Ginny gasped in pleasure. It had been three weeks since she'd seen Tonks and she had all but forgotten about the promised owl post from her friend. Christmas was still nearly two months away, but she had already been thinking of asking her mum to invite Professor Lupin to The Burrow for the holidays. As it turned out, great minds thought alike and Tonks was already two steps ahead. No wonder she was an Auror.

Ginny suddenly discerned a shadow through the purple parchment and flipped it over to find that someone had scrawled something in messy black handwriting on the back of the invitation.

_Gin, I'm recruiting you and Hermione to help me get this thing together- otherwise I bloody well might explode. Owl me back and we'll come up with a time to meet. Tonks_

She snorted softly at the message but couldn't help feeling a flush of warmth at having been chosen to help plan the festivities. Even if she couldn't be part of the DA, she was grateful to be included and to assist in any way she could.

By lunchtime that afternoon, Ginny was feeling an even greater sense of belonging coupled with an odd touch of humor over the situation. This was primarily because throughout the day she had been informed about the party by no less than twelve people-all of them wanting to invite her along as their guest. By the time Justin Finch-Fletchley was stopping her outside the loo to make sure she was aware of the event, she knew something strange was going on. It didn't take her long to reason it out. 

After Harry neglected to send her an invitation to the DA, she had been upset with him, but in her anger, she had never bothered to contemplate how everyone else had reacted. In fact, the majority of her bitter feelings had faded since the day he'd apologized. If this ongoing display of camaraderie was any indication, her classmates weren't quite so forgiving.

The first person to stop her had been Neville, when he found her in the Common Room before she left for class. Then Luna had pulled her aside during Potions. Hermione and Ron had bumped into her in the hallway on her way to Muggle Studies and were about to invite her but by this time she'd caught on to the drill and quickly told them she'd received her own invitation already. She dispatched Dean Thomas's speech much the same way but failed to do so with Amir Khan and Chelsea Hammond as she mistakenly thought their initial approach had been Quidditch-related. Justin had caught her off guard as well (that and the fact that she really did have to go to the loo, so was only partially paying attention). Next had come Professor McGonagall after Transfiguration class and Katie Bell right outside the Transfiguration classroom. Just when she'd thought she was free and clear, Dennis and Colin Creevy had blocked her from entering the Great Hall and they looked so endearingly eager to invite her that she stood and listened to their descriptions of how wonderful it would be if she'd come before telling them that she already was.

She was partway to the Gryffindor table when Michael Corner stopped her.

"Hey Ginny, how're you?"

"Quite well, Michael." She already knew where this was going, but she hadn't spoken to him in a while, and rather enjoyed the experience. 

As if reading her mind, he smiled at her. "I feel like I haven't seen you in ages."

"I know, this year has just been utterly mad what with O.W.L.s. How are you doing?" 

"I think I can safely say that I've done better work in my life." 

She laughed. "Looking forward to the Quidditch match this Saturday?" 

"Indeed I am." He paused. "But I can't be rooting for Gryffindor this time. I'm sure you understand, Gin."

She was struck suddenly by the memory of him cheering for her House during the Quidditch matches last year, first in support of Ron and then for both her and her brother. She reckoned it had taken quite a bit of bravery to sit in the red and gold stands, despite the jeers from his fellow Ravenclaws and she'd almost forgotten how much she admired him for it. Well, up until the point that he'd got sulky when she'd beaten Cho. Nevertheless, if she was perfectly honest with herself, there were instances even now when she missed him dearly. 

"Well, I don't imagine Cho would be pleased to see you wearing Luna's Gryffindor Lion head again this year."

He chuckled, "No, I don't imagine she would. Listen, Ginny, I don't know if you've heard, but there's this thing…"

"She already received an invitation."

Startled, Ginny turned and saw Harry standing next to her. She had no idea where he'd come from, which was unusual as she had almost developed a sixth sense when it came to knowing where he was. With a flash of irritation, she reckoned he must have developed the same when it came to the name 'Cho'.

"Oh. Really?" Michael seemed a bit thrown.

"Yes, I did. But thanks for letting me know."

"Yes, thanks, Corner." Harry said. "Very helpful of you." Unable to stop herself, Ginny stared at him, shocked by the cold tone of his voice.

Her ex-boyfriend paused. "Just looking out for her, Potter."

Harry gave him a stiff smile. "Aren't you going to the party with Cho?"

Ginny was struck right then with such an urge to slap him that her hand actually twitched.

Michael's normally pleasant demeanor took on a bit of an edge as well. "As Cho is my girlfriend, yes."

Not caring to be a part of this conversation any longer, she attempted an escape. "Well, I'll see you both there then. Nice talking to you, Michael. Thanks for thinking of me." 

"You're welcome, Ginny. I'm just glad you got invited this time." Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and walked back towards his table.

The dig wasn't lost on either of the Gryffindors and, just on the periphery of her vision, she saw Harry go rigid next to her. He muttered something then, under his breath and much too softly for her to hear, but Ginny was too appalled by his general behavior to ask what it was. Leaving him to his Cho-ridden angst, she returned to her own table, sliding into a spot next to Hermione.

"Say, Ginny…" Seamus started.

"She knows," half a dozen voices chorused and he snapped his mouth shut. 

Conversation turned then to other matters as the students set about alternately complaining over how much work they had to complete and chattering enthusiastically about the upcoming Quidditch match. Ginny tried not to look at Harry when he sat down on the other side of the table as she was still stung by his continued fascination with Cho Chang. She was especially vexed because she knew that she shouldn't care what he thought of her. She and Harry were friends. If he was still interested in Cho, well, that was none of her concern. Unless, of course, it was out of friendly concern. For his **sanity**.

Picking up her fork, and trying to find interest in her food, Ginny couldn't help but wonder when she'd began keeping such stupid friends.

~*~

With school an utter nightmare, Saturday afternoon rolled around before Ginny had the opportunity to work up a good deal of nerves over her first Quidditch match of the season. Her muscles were still somewhat sore from the nearly unbearable practices Katie had devised for the past two weeks and the day off the team had got yesterday afternoon simply hadn't been enough to fully rest.

Now, dressed in full uniform, she, Dean, Harry, Ron, and Katie were waiting near the passage to enter the pitch. Dean's tendency to keep poking his head out and looking around the stands with a thunderstruck look on his face certainly wasn't helping her mental state. Struggling with the incessant fluttering in the pit of her stomach, she heard Katie mutter an oath. 

"Where are Hammond and Khan?"

Happy to have something to occupy the few remaining moments with, Ginny quickly volunteered to find them. It didn't take her long to locate the two missing Beaters near the far corner of the room and she headed over to call them to join the rest of the team. Chelsea looked up upon her approach but Amir simply moaned, his head hanging between his knees.

"He's-he's not doing well," she said softly, her hand rubbing gentle circles on his back.

"Amir, what's wrong?"

"I'm going to die," he groaned, still not looking up at her. "I can't go out there. Ring up the reserves."

Ginny fought the urge to laugh, instantly recognizing the nervousness in his voice. "Oh, come on, Amir, we can't go out there without you." Attempting a trick her mother often used to rouse her brothers, she made her voice brisk and cheerful. "Up with you, now. Come on, Amir, stand up. You'll be absolutely fine."

Chelsea shook her head. "I think he might be sick."

"I've already been sick." His voice was muffled. "Three times, I've been sick. There's nothing left."

"Only three times? My first game, I was sick four." Harry darted Ginny a glance as he walked past her and crouched next to the other boy. "My first time out on the pitch was my first year and I was raised by Muggles so I had never even heard of the game. I could scarcely remember how to get to the greenhouses let alone how to play Quidditch."

Amir simply moaned.

Sighing, Harry poked him in the shoulder. "Come on, mate. Look at me."

Amir's head popped up and Ginny winced. He really did look a bit green around the gills. Unperturbed, Harry looked him straight in the eye. "You remember Oliver Wood?"

Amir shrugged weakly. "Before my time. Heard of him, though."

"Oliver Wood was one of the greatest Quidditch Captains Hogwarts has ever seen," Harry said in a voice filled with reverence.

Someone snorted, and Ginny saw Katie standing to her left, listening to the exchange with a lopsided smirk on her face.

Ignoring her, he continued, "When I was about to go out onto the pitch that year, I was much smaller than you and I remember looking out at that crowd and all those bigger players and being convinced I was going to die as well."

"Yes, but he didn't. See, Amir?" 

Harry looked at Chelsea as though he really wished she wouldn't be so helpful and, being a perceptive girl, she quickly fell silent.

"No, I didn't die. In fact, what really helped was the piece of advice Oliver gave me. He said 'Harry-'"

"Oh, this'll be rich." Katie muttered.

Harry started again, more loudly this time, "He said, 'Harry, that shows that you're really and truly ready. Only the very best players feel that way right before a match.'"

"Feel what way?" Ron asked, having missed most of the conversation.

"Sick." 

"Well, I feel fine." 

"Ah, proved your point then, didn't you Potter?" Katie said dryly.

Despite himself, Amir smiled and Harry capitalized on the moment by hauling him to his feet. "C'mon now, Amir. Grab your bat and let's get out there. Let's show Ravenclaw what we're made of." As the Beaters went off to collect their equipment, the rest of the team walked back to the passage.

"Just you wait, Potter. I'm going to owl Oliver and tell him what you said," Katie laughed. "Running around spreading rumors that he lost his lunch before every game. Not to mention saying that he was one of the greatest Quidditch Captains at Hogwarts. Come to think of it, I'm going to tell Angelina too."

Harry rolled his eyes but took the ribbing in stride. Ginny had seen and heard enough about Oliver Wood to know that the majority of the story was complete trollop.

"Dear Oliver," Katie began in a breathless, awed tone, "I just wanted to write to tell you how much I admire you. The way you vomited before each and every game was truly inspirational. You're the bestest Quidditch Captain that Hogworts has ever seen. I especially loved your demented pre-game pep talks and obsessive need to get at least one person hospitalized at the end of every match. You are my Hero. Love, Harry Potter." 

Ron started snickering and Harry gave him a playful shove. "Shut it."

"You do remember that, don't you Potter?" Katie persisted. "The fact that both you and Wood ended up with Madam Pomfrey at the end of your first game?"

"Shut it, Katie, he's coming back."

And, sure enough, the Beaters had returned, so Katie left off her teasing. Their timing was impeccable, as the crowd suddenly started cheering and Ginny could distinctly hear a few voices raised in song. The Gryffindor team had just been announced and they quickly made their way onto the pitch. Katie strode out first, flanked by Ron and Harry. Ginny, Dean, Amir and Chelsea brought up the rear.

"Here we go," Ginny heard Harry whisper and when she looked over at him, he was smiling at her, a look of determination sparking in his eyes. "Good Luck, Gin. Give them hell."

Before she could return the encouragement, he was flying off into the sky to take his position hovering above their heads. Ginny glimpsed Cho Chang's raven hair gleaming in the sunshine nearby but before she could contemplate it further, the Quaffle was put into play and they were off.

The first half hour of the game passed in relative monotony. Neither team managed to score once and both almost seemed to be playing on their best behavior. Passing the Quaffle from person to person became a polite affair as the sides took turns attempting goals. This all changed, however, when Dean unexpectedly swooped in and intercepted a Quaffle pass between two Ravenclaw Chasers and threw the ball through the hoop before their Keeper had an opportunity to so much as blink. Gryffindor's stands erupted into wild cheering and Ginny suddenly felt herself infused with the competitive spirit she hadn't felt since when they'd last played Ravenclaw. 

Remembering the look on Cho's face when she'd grabbed the Snitch right out from under her nose, Ginny seized the handle of her broom and took off after Lindsay Morris-Champlain, the fifth year Ravenclaw she was covering who also happened to be in possession of the returned Quaffle.

Flying up alongside Lindsay on the left, she spotted two things: the first was the fact that no one had taught the girl how to carry a Quaffle properly. The second was the fact that they were fast approaching Katie Bell's position and she was hovering a few feet below them. Hunching down on her broom, Ginny gritted her teeth and leaned sharply to her right, slamming herself directly into Lindsay, who let out a startled yelp. They were only briefly intertwined, but it was just enough time for Ginny to force her to drop the Quaffle right into Katie's outstretched hands. Another scream erupted from the stands seconds later and she knew that Gryffindor had just scored again. 

A Bludger flew just past her ear then and she looked up, startled, to see both Ravenclaw Beaters bearing down on her. Having sensed the changing tone of the game, they were rapidly catching up to her but she took off with a sharp laugh and dodged the next shot as it skirted several inches past her knee. Pulling straight up in the air, she momentarily reached eye level with Harry, temporarily confusing him, as he had clearly not been paying one whit of attention to what was going on below.

"Duck, Harry!"

He complied almost instantly and the Bludger went sailing over both of their heads before turning in an arc and falling back towards the ground.

"Careful there!" she shouted gaily before spinning back down to the rest of her teammates.

She was just righting herself from her dive in time to see Ravenclaw Mitchell Perkins score a rather impressive goal on Ron, causing thunderous applause from the other side. Not allowing herself to fully feel the twinge of disappointment, she forced it instead to fuel the burning need she suddenly felt to win.

This need sustained her well into the first hour of the game, but by the second, even it couldn't keep her energy from flagging. The strain of having to constantly fly back and forth across the pitch was almost overwhelming. She hoped that Katie would call another brief time out, but was afraid that she'd collapse and be unable to remount her broom if she was given the opportunity to rest. 

They were trailing the Ravenclaw team 360 to 210 and the fight had been a brutal one. Chelsea had almost been knocked off her broom by a Bludger, but managed to stay on by sheer tenacity alone. The single time out they'd been given, Katie had spent the majority of her time inspecting Amir's blistered palms, which were starting to bleed and wrapping Dean's wrist, which had been twisted when one of the Ravenclaw players had tried to wrench the Quaffle free from him. Ron had been knocked backwards against the metal hoops twice already, trying to save a goal. The second time, he'd almost lost control of his broom and plummeted to the ground. Ginny herself was covered in bruises from body-checking other players. Her slight frame was perfect for speed, but not as good for the rougher contact necessary from Chasers and she often had to hit harder to have the same effect as Dean or Katie. Dark purple welts were already starting to show on her forearms, but she did her best to ignore them.

Just then, Katie made an anguished noise as Rufus Keeney scored a goal against a clearly distracted Ron and Ginny felt her morale fall as well. Every time Ravenclaw pulled ahead, Gryffindor had to muster their strength and score in response. She wasn't sure she had the energy left. It wasn't until the screaming that resulted from Rufus's goal failed to abate that her gaze lifted to where Ron was looking. 

Cho was zipping off towards a point above the Hufflepuff stands, with Harry hot on her heels. Ginny heard Katie let out a gasp as the Asian girl reached stretched out her lithe form, fingers grasping in the air.

As if in deference to Katie's horror, the Snitch changed directions then. They knew this because Harry suddenly darted to the left, leaving Cho to fumble momentarily before turning and heading after him. For a split second, seeing Harry in front made Ginny feel better, but when the dark determination on his face didn't vanish and he continued to pursue the glittering ball, she was suddenly seized by a heart-stopping panic.

"Harry, NO!" Katie shrieked before flying away.

"Oh sweet Merlin," Ginny moaned. He couldn't catch the Snitch now. If he did, the game would be over with a final score of 370 to 360 and Ravenclaw would win the way Hufflepuff had in their game against Gryffindor last year. Angelina had been so depressed about everyone's miserable effort at the end of that game that she hadn't said much to Ginny about it, but did take a moment to warn her that, in general, when pursuing the Snitch, she really ought to be somewhat aware of the score and see if she can't hold off on capturing it or shoving the other Seeker out of the way if the Chasers were a tad behind. Harry clearly hadn't received that advice, or else he had failed to note Rufus' late goal. Either way, Cho was leagues behind him and his attention was still focused in front.

"Too busy chasing Chang to pay attention to what's going on under his nose," Dean shouted in frustration above the deafening screams of the crowd. It took him a few seconds to realize he was talking to thin air as Ginny had already flown off after Katie.

Tension radiating through her body, Ginny came up alongside the other girl's position where she had somehow managed to physically wrest the Quaffle from one of the Ravenclaws and was heading towards the hoops. The Ravenclaw Keeper looked ready for them, his eyes trained firmly on Katie, but as she feinted to her left and he immediately swung right in anticipation, she instead flipped the Quaffle to Ginny who threw it through the left hand hoops. The screaming had reached such a level that it almost felt like the entire pitch was vibrating and Ginny barely had time to breath as the Quaffle rebounded into play and the Ravenclaws shot across the field with it in triangular formation. 

Dean met them partway, and with an impulse Ginny could only chalk up to pure insanity, flew directly into their path, causing them to scatter at the last second, but not quite fast enough as he collided with the lead Chaser carrying the Quaffle. Both boys immediately fell over, sliding off of their brooms just as the Quaffle fell obediently into Katie's arms once again. 

A few of the Professors managed to hit the boys with charms to soften their fall and, once she was sure Dean wasn't too injured, Ginny riveted her gaze to Harry, praying that he'd noticed by now what was going on and that he would give Katie an opportunity to try to score. A draw wasn't quite so bad as a loss, but it was still nothing compared to an all out win.

Unfortunately, Harry was just then reaching towards the Snitch with such eagerness that she knew he still hadn't seen a thing. 

What happened next took place in such rapid succession that it would take her a full three hours afterwards to piece it all together. First, a loud crack sounded near her head and Ginny heard Amir scream for her to duck left, which she did just in time. She watched in horror as the Bludger went sailing towards Harry, but only just brushed past his fingers, causing him to jerk his hands back for a split second. Turning, she realized that it had been shot towards him by their own Beaters, just as Katie sailed past her, dropping something large and disturbingly round into her lap from above. 

Realizing she was now in possession of the Quaffle, Ginny felt the object almost burning into her hands and a prickling sensation started up the back of her neck as she took off, screaming at the top of her lungs. Clinging to the Quaffle with everything she had left, Ginny raced up the corridor towards the Ravenclaw Keeper, who was clearly disturbed to see a shrieking mass of red and gold hurtling towards him. She heard another crack from behind her head and ducked instinctively, dipping her broom lower as well. When she heard the strangled sound of someone having the air knocked out of them she realized that the Ravenclaw Keeper took the blow that was intended for her. Darting under his broom, she flung the Quaffle into the goal over her head as she went sailing under the hoops after it, unable to stop herself in time.

She narrowly missed getting struck by one of the hoop posts and wasn't sure that she had beaten Harry to catching the Snitch until she heard the announcer screaming, "GRYFFINDOR WINS!" and the stands around her shook from the stomping and clapping that erupted. 

She was well past the pitch by the time she managed to bring her broom to a full stop and was shaking so hard from exertion that she hopped off it, leaving it in the grass, before sprinting back to where pandemonium was erupting from all sides. Before she made it within ten feet of the pitch, she was suddenly rushed by Amir and Chelsea who hugged her so hard she was lifted well off the ground. Together, they carried her back to where she could see Harry being swamped by Ron, Hermione, Neville, and a few other Gryffindors who had already broken out of their seats. Their eyes met over the heads of their friends and they simultaneously broke into joyful smiles. 

Something that sounded strangely like 'Weasley is our Queen' reverberated around the stands but the only thing Ginny was paying attention to was the fact that Katie was noticeably absent. That's when she remembered her fallen teammate and, shouting his name, she struggled away from Amir and Chelsea before racing towards Madam Pomfrey's gleaming white robes.

The rest of the afternoon and evening passed in a blur of color, music, congratulations, and celebration, punctuated by a few visits to the serene quiet of the hospital ward where Dean Thomas was being kept overnight. He had suffered a sprained wrist, some cuts and bruises, as well as a mild concussion, but the grin he gave Ginny when she came to sneak him some chocolate frogs put her at ease.

"Hey Ginny?" he said in a voice she recognized as his best imitation of someone pitifully injured and on his deathbed.

"Yes, Dean?" she responded, trying not to look too amused.

"Be a dear and do a favor for a dying man," he rasped dramatically.

"And what would that be?"

Suddenly, his tone became serious. "Be my date for the DA party?"

She stared at him then, mildly surprised, her smile fading from her lips. "Oh…" It was so unexpected that she didn't even know what to say. In the euphoria surrounding the game, the Christmas party had all but slipped her mind and even when she was thinking about it, she had never once considered the fact that she would need to find a date. Of its own accord, her mind immediately flashed to Harry and she wondered whom he would be asking. It was stupid, she told herself, to be thinking about him at a time like this. 

Suddenly, Dean touched her arm, bringing her out of her reverie. "Look, you don't have to tell me now. I mean, feel free to think about it. I just…you know, I just wanted to beat the rush."

The thinly veiled compliment both pleased her and made her feel vaguely uncomfortable at the same time, so she forced a chuckle and rolled her eyes. "Right. I'm sure I'll be fending them off in droves." He shrugged then, and just smiled back at her in such a way that she felt her face warm.

By the time she'd left the hospital ward, she was still a bit confused over how she felt about being asked by Dean to the party, but there was a lightness there, a hopefulness that hadn't existed before. The thought of saying yes rather excited her and the more she regarded him as something beyond just a friend, the more she thought it just might work. She remembered naming him as her new conquest on the train home from Hogwarts last year, but had done it in jest, just to irk Ron. She wondered idly if perhaps that had got back to Dean somehow and sparked his initial interest. Nevertheless, she found that she genuinely liked him, especially after he had been such a good friend to Harry last year while most everyone else was wretched to him until _The Quibbler_ expose came out.

Ginny fought back a moan at the fact that Harry had somehow managed to pop back into her mind. Then again, if she were to be entirely honest, he was still a part of the equation. Dean Thomas was providing her with the first opportunity since Michael Corner to truly get over her crush on Harry once and for all.

Luckily, as someone who had once been duped into a relationship that only existed to serve a greater purpose, Ginny knew she had to tread carefully when it came to this particular decision. If she were to accept Dean's invitation, it would have to be for him and not just to serve as an escape from something else.

In the end, she wasn't sure she could manage it. 

~*~

The next two weeks passed without any real incident and Ginny found herself grateful for the approaching weekend, as it would be the single Hogsmeade trip the school was allowing before the spring term and she had already made a list of what she needed to purchase. She also had yet to give Dean a definite answer regarding the party, despite the fact that he had asked her again, and planned on thinking more about it while at Hogsmeade. 

Between homework, Quidditch and her Familiar, it had started to feel as though she were moving through life swathed in thick cotton. She was so burnt out that the upcoming trip almost made her weak with anticipation, so much so that she could scarcely pay attention to anything at all. O.W.L.s were finally starting to take their toll and it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep everything together. Take today, for instance. 

By the afternoon, Ginny was starting to think she had a record bad day on her hands. Between a surprise quiz in Potions, accidentally injuring Colin Creevey in Charms and losing House points in Arithmancy for forgetting a homework assignment, she was all but ready to retire to her room before the morning was even over. On her way to lunch, Hagrid had detained her in the hall to tell her he'd found Rufus by the lake (the turtle had evidently made excellent friends with the Giant Squid). By the time she managed to extricate herself from a rather involved discussion of magical creatures, she had only fifteen minutes left to eat. 

The only positive moment was spotting Susan Bones alone at the Hufflepuff table in the Great Hall. Ginny rushed to join her and the girls had a brief, hurried conversation as she quickly ate.

To make matters worse, Maeven was acting exceptionally jumpy and distracted. The phoenix had started to look downright ragged and although Ginny knew it was to be expected, it was still disconcerting. She sighed, scooping up the last of her books and putting them into her rucksack before hurrying to where Susan was holding the door for her.

"Your bird's molting a bit there."

Susan held up a few purple feathers she'd picked off of Ginny's robe and raised her eyebrow. 

"Yes, I noticed. Thanks for letting me know, though. Dumbledore said it's normal." Even so, she cast a worried look at the bird perched on her shoulder as they headed down the hallway.

"How much longer till she's back in her chick stage?"

"I'm not sure yet, since I missed the start of this cycle when I got her. I'll be keeping count from when she undergoes the transforma-"

Ginny broke off as a sudden dizzy feeling swept through her and she stumbled forward. Almost immediately thereafter, she felt a painful flash of heat right next to her head and something hit her shoe.

"_Incendio_," someone hissed and the pain increased mightily. That's when she knew.

She was on fire.

Susan started screaming but before she could react, Ginny was hit by at least ten different spells.

In retrospect, she realized why Professor Flitwick stressed the importance of matching the correct charms to each occasion. For, in their haste to aid in snuffing out the flames, the assorted passersby struck out with an odd variety of strategies. The two or three older students in the hallway at the time correctly used a water charm, but many of the younger students tossed wind and cold charms at her. By the time it was all said and done, she was standing in the hall, dripping wet and so cold that her lips were tinged with blue.

Reaching up, she gingerly touched the right side of her face and was horrified to find her hair partially singed. Susan stood next to her, tearfully cupping what appeared to be a very naked, very wet, baby version of Maeven.

"What's the meaning of all this?" Professor Snape's smooth baritone silenced the gathering crowd almost instantly.

She couldn't believe her terrible luck and her almost incomprehensible stupidity. It was her fault that this had happened. She knew she shouldn't have carried Maeven on her shoulder once the bird started molting, but she simply hadn't had the heart to leave her in her cage back in the dormitory. This was rapidly looking like a detention.

Snape's dark eyes suddenly lit on the chick in Susan's hands and understanding dawned. He gave her a disgusted sneer. "Oh, Miss Weasley, I expected more from you."

Another voice smoothly cut in. "It was Malfoy, sir."

Ginny froze. Upon hearing the Slytherin's name, she automatically scanned the crowd for his white blonde head but failed to find him. 

"What was that?" Snape sounded irritated.

"Her phoenix underwent its transformation, but Malfoy used _Incendio_ to make it worse. I heard him."

Turning, she was decidedly shocked to see who had come to stand beside her.

"Are you sure of that, Mr. Zabini?" Snape's eyes glittered dangerously.

The younger man's face remained expressionless. "Positive, sir."

"Very well." He turned to the crowd. "Get to class. All of you. Miss Weasley and Mr. Zabini, come with me."

The only odd humor injected into the moment was when Ginny glimpsed the look on Susan's face as Snape led them away. She appeared about ready to run up and swoon right into Blaise's arms. It would have been deliriously funny if Ginny hadn't been concentrating on the stinging pain emanating from the minor burns on her neck. She didn't even have the heart to glance down at her robes as they were undoubtedly ruined.

Walking awkwardly into Snape's private office, she waited mutely as he disappeared into his quarters before returning with an uncorked vial of pink liquid.

"This is a general restorative potion, Miss Weasley. Drink it quickly and you might be saved a trip to the hospital wing."

She gratefully gulped down the elixir and felt her body start to warm as her skin began to cool. Reaching up, she was pleasantly surprised to find that the crisply burnt edges of her hair had flattened out and lengthened slightly. She was about to thank him, when he pinned her with a dark glare.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor for sheer stupidity, Miss Weasley." He darted an angry look at Blaise. "Twenty from Slytherin for the same, Mr. Zabini."

Ginny's mouth fell open. Snape almost never took points off of his own house and she had no idea why he was showing such animosity towards Blaise. As she had fully expected this outcome, she silently accepted the loss of House points, unfair as it was. Blaise, on the other hand, was looking at Snape with a fury she had never seen from him before. In response to his reprimand, he shot off something in rapid Italian. The Potions professor gave an agitated but equally incomprehensible response and suddenly they were engaged in what sounded like a particularly vicious argument. 

She started to grow increasingly worried as certain words and phrases began to sound familiar. What little Italian she knew, she had learned from Charlie as he had picked a bit of the language up while traveling and working in Italy over the summers after his sixth and seventh years. He had only taught her the cuss words. 

"Class, Miss Weasley. You do recall what that is, don't you?"

She jumped at the sudden switch back to English.

"Y-yes, sir."

"Well, as this period has already begun and you are late, I suspect you will be joining us in Detention this evening. Now go."

Given that he was making it clear he had no intention of giving her an excusal note for her late arrival she had no choice but to comply with the dismissal. Shooting what she hoped was a recognizably grateful look at Blaise over her shoulder, she hurried off in the direction of class.

~*~

It had taken a particularly rousing Quidditch practice that afternoon to fully pull Ginny out of her dark mood and make her forget the rather tragic start to her day. The fact that Professor Binns hadn't even noticed her late entrance to class had certainly helped. However, it wasn't until she had taken her frustration out on the pitch that her spirit returned to full strength. With their game against Hufflepuff not until after Christmas, Katie was doing an excellent job continuously drumming passion and fierce competitiveness into the team. 

Ever since Amir and Chelsea had been given the go to aim at the Chasers directly, it had added a particularly exhilarating and realistic twist to practice. Ginny was only too happy to throw herself into her combined Chaser/Beater exercises that afternoon and she spent the majority of her time flirting with the sailing Bludger while she hugged the Quaffle to her chest and flew at breakneck speed towards her brother. There were a few times when she would change her direction so suddenly that she'd momentarily lose control of her broom. Those parts were the most fun.

Her relentless scoring appeared to completely bewilder Ron, as he had never seen his sister fly and shoot with such accuracy. Her success in sinking fifteen of twenty attempted goals had also earned him a particularly blistering reprimand from Katie, but Ginny couldn't quite bring herself to feel bad. 

This was especially true when Dean jokingly told her that, at this rate, he wouldn't be needed on the team at all and pretended to fly away back towards the castle.

By the time evening rolled around she was feeling more relaxed than she had in days as she sat with Neville, Harry, Hermione and Ron in the library. They were diligently finishing up their assorted assignments, in a manner that had become a sort of unofficial ritual for them since the third week of the term.

Ron, who appeared more restless than usual, provided the only occasional sound as he shuffled papers on the table, constantly organizing various sheets of parchment.

Ginny had just finished her Arithmancy assignment and was in the middle of a quick respite before pulling out her Muggle Studies reading. She watched her brother scribble something so furiously that his Quill unexpectedly snapped.

He let out a rather miserable moan and, hearing him, Hermione glanced up from her Charms homework.

"Hermione-" he began, a note of resignation in his voice.

"Just a second, Ron." She was already rummaging in her rucksack and quickly pulled out a Quill to lend him.

"-will you be my date to the Christmas party?"

"Here you go," she responded absent-mindedly before freezing when his question sank in. "Wh-what?" 

He cleared his throat. "The DA Christmas party. Will you…erm…go with me?"

Ginny watched in fascination as the Quill simply hung there in the air where she held it.

Hermione's delicate features turned white and her mouth fell open. "Oh…well…I hadn't really….that is…yes. Yes, of course." She let out a relieved breath as the power of speech had clearly returned. "Yes, I will. Yes. Thank you for asking."

Ron, who had been turning an impressive shade of beet red during the exchange, looked equally relieved. Ginny fought the urge to break into an idiotic grin at her brother's unexpected bravery and the fact that Hermione had said yes four times. It became even harder to keep her composure when she felt the gentle but steady pressure of Harry's foot pressing against her own under the table. Risking a glance at him, she saw his eyes carefully skimming the page in front of him, looking for the entire world like he hadn't even noticed the conversation that had just taken place. She knew it was all an act when, moments later, he gave her foot two rapid taps and a ghost of a smile appeared on his face. 

"Brilliant. Good. Glad that's settled, then." Ron sounded as pleased as he looked.

Schoolwork seemed a moot point from then on as Ginny was so close to bursting from happiness that she could scarcely take notes on what she was reading. The only person who appeared to be truly oblivious was Neville. The gentle scratching noise of his quill hadn't ceased once in the past ten minutes he'd been working on his Divination essay.

It was later, walking back to the Common Room when she suspected that he had, in fact, been paying at least partial attention to the conversation. She had been staring rather obviously at the back of Harry's head, somewhat lost in pondering over what it would feel like to run her fingers through his thick black hair, when Neville's voice pulled her out of her stupor.

"Say, Gin." 

"Yes?" Blushing, she turned to him.

"About the Christmas party. You're going, aren't you?"

"Yes, of course I am. I wouldn't miss it for anything."

"Well, I was wondering, since you and I went to the Yule Ball together that one time…" His voice trailed off in embarrassment.

She stared at him in disbelief. "Are you asking me to go with you to the party?" As Harry and Ron had suddenly quickened their pace down the hall in front of her, she didn't bother to lower her voice.

"Well…yes…"

Unable to stand it, she grabbed his arm. "Neville, are you insane?"

"I-I-,"

"Seriously, are you barking mad?"

He looked hurt. "A simple 'no' would have sufficed."

She loosened her grip in sympathy, and forced some patience into her character. Taking a deep breath, she pinned him with what she hoped was an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Neville. No, I will not be your date to the party."

"Well, I reckoned as much on my own." He let out a dignified sniff.

Ignoring the fact that he was looking at her like a whipped puppy, she continued, "Now go ask Luna, like you're supposed to." 

He flushed such a shade of red at that point that he could have been mistaken for a Weasley. "What?!"

"Neville, ask Luna to the party or I'm afraid I'll be forced to kill you. Both of you."

"B-but, what would make you think that I would want to ask Luna to-"

"Do you really want to know?"

He stopped. "No, I suppose not." A pause. "Is it that obvious?"

Ginny tried to keep the frustration out of her voice. "Not to Luna, it isn't."

"I don't think she'd say yes."

"She'll say yes."

"Did she tell you she'd say yes?"

She sighed. "Neville, if she doesn't say yes, I'll go find Filch and snog him. Does that sound fair?"

"Don't snog Filch," he said absentmindedly. An oddly hopeful look crossed his face. "Do you really think she'll say yes?"

He wasn't quite looking at her, but he appeared so adorably bashful just then that Ginny felt her irritation melt. Throwing her arm around his shoulders, she gave him a squeeze. For good measure, she planted a quick, chaste kiss on his cheek and his round face instantly turned red. She followed his gaze to where Harry and Ron were waiting for them by the portrait of the Fat Lady, watching. Ron looked particularly amused. 

"Aw, blimey, Gin…" Neville reacted much the same way any one of her brothers did to public sisterly affection, with the possible exceptions of Bill and Charlie, which was to try and shrug her off.

Laughing, Ginny took hold of his arm and pulled him along to where the others were standing. "Yes. A definite yes. I've never had less of a doubt of anything in my life." Crawling through the portrait hole with her friends, she tried to catch Harry's eye then, almost certain he would back up her opinion with the same support he had secretly given Ron's asking Hermione. Unfortunately, he looked away at that moment, seemingly distracted by a chess game going on between Seamus and Pavarti.

Not wanting to pull him aside and make things altogether too obvious for Neville, she simply murmured a few more words of encouragement to him before heading up to her dormitory to relax. 

Privately, she hoped that acting against her better sense and meddling in Luna and Neville's budding romance wouldn't cause too much trouble in the long run. 

~*~

End Chapter 6


	7. A Free Agent

Chapter 7: A Free Agent  
  
"I don't like that red. It's just too bright."  
  
"But it reminds me of Gryffindor's house colors."  
  
"Actually, it's a good deal lighter than our red, Ginny, and it'll look downright garish on all of the sofas." To prove her point Hermione, tapped the floor plan they were working on with her wand, instantly changing the shade of the upholstery on the furniture.  
  
Ginny wrinkled her nose. "Bugger. Okay, you've proven your point. Now turn it back quickly before I go blind." Smiling slightly, Hermione did as she was told and the sofas flipped back to a neutral tan.  
  
"Crikey! Where. Did. It. Go?!" Tonks was rifling frantically through one of the several magazines strewn around Professor McGonagall's office in such a state of frustration that she was crumpling the pages as she manhandled them. "The perfect dance floor. I found it yesterday afternoon while flipping through this nonsense. It was just exactly how I envisioned it and now it's not bloody here."  
  
"Did you mark it?" Hermione asked calmly.  
  
"I thought I did," Tonks ground out. Her bubblegum pink hair seemed to be curling in response to her frustration and Ginny was suddenly struck by the novelty of it. Every time she was with Tonks, she found herself wishing she'd been born lucky enough to be able to change her appearance at will.  
  
"Ah! Here it is!" All but cackling with glee the Auror pulled out a page and thrust it under Hermione's nose. "See? Perfect, isn't it?"  
  
Leaning forward, Ginny stared at the expansive dark cherry-colored wooden floor. Hermione touched her wand to the picture in Tonks's hands and then touched the floor plan. Instantly, the dance floor appeared in it. She cocked her head and stared at the addition critically. "Well, the color matches the wood paneling, doesn't it?"  
  
Ginny groaned softly. She never thought she'd see the day when she'd be sitting inside on a perfectly decent afternoon discussing wood paneling with Hermione. "Looks too big to me," she muttered.  
  
"How many people are we expecting?"  
  
Tonks looked thoughtful. "Well, counting the ten RSVPs I got today, I'd wager a guess of roughly three hundred people."  
  
Hermione blanched. "Three hundred? But.but that's over a third of the school!"  
  
"Aye." Tonks shrugged. "It was the 'guests welcome' portion that did it. I didn't realize you DA folk had so many blasted friends with nowhere to go for Christmas." She winked at Ginny, indicating the fact that she was only joking. "After all, I only sent out fifty or so invitations."  
  
"Dear Merlin, it's like another Yule Ball." Hermione suddenly looked terrified and Ginny felt a faint flutter of anticipation herself.  
  
Yes, it would be very similar to the Yule Ball, she thought, only thankfully not as dressy or as intimidating as that had been. Nor as painful. She thought back to Neville's enthusiastically awful attempts at dancing and wondered briefly if it would be a complete betrayal of their friendship to warn Luna to charm steel tips into her shoes ahead of time.  
  
"Well, at least we don't have to worry about space. That Room of Requirement is really one of the most brilliant things I've ever seen." Tonks then took the floor plan from Hermione's hands, made a few brief adjustments to it with her wand, and passed it back to the girls. "There now, what do you think of that?"  
  
There were a few moments of silence as all three regarded the picture carefully. The choice of wood made the room a bit dark, but six fireplaces crackled merrily, lighting the space in a pleasant, homey manner. The dance floor was settled in the middle, and farther back along the wall facing the door were huge windows dripping with dark red velvet curtains. Running parallel to the windows was a table covered in white linen that was bursting with food. A few enchanted fir trees lined the left and right sides of the room and they drifted in lazy circles, their branches sparkling heavily from the silver ornaments that weighed down upon them. Ginny's favorite part of the floor plan, however, were the crowds of dark green and red sofas grouped intimately about the fireplaces. The ample furniture been her idea because she liked the notion that when dancers grew tired, they could sit and lounge with friends by the flames. It seemed so much more natural, especially for a party in honor of Professor Lupin, than making people sit at proper chairs and tables.  
  
As if wondering what all the sudden silence was about, Maeven poked her tiny beak over the lip of the pouch attached to Ginny's waist by a sash and struggled until her wrinkled head emerged. She was covered in a shock of dark purple feather-like tufts that occasionally obscured her little blue eyes.  
  
Tonks let out a strange trilling sound then and reached forward to stroke the chick's head. "Oh, Ginny, is this your phoenix? She's just so adorable!" Before Ginny could respond, the Auror started addressing the animal in an abnormally high-pitched voice. "Lookit the ickle birdie. Aren't you just lovely? Yes you are. Yes you are!"  
  
Ginny looked down at Maeven, who simultaneously looked up at her. She had been worried at first that her ability to communicate with her Familiar would decrease when the phoenix hit her chick stage. Instead, she had found that the opposite was true. If anything, the lack of complexity in the bird's mind made understanding her just that much simpler.  
  
Right now, for example, Maeven was under the distinct impression that Tonks was rather daft.  
  
Staring unblinkingly at the Auror for a few moments, she unceremoniously popped her head back down into the sack, leaving the Auror in mid-coo.  
  
"Cheeky little thing, isn't she?" Tonks said cheerfully.  
  
"Not bad," Hermione finally said, addressing the comment at the floor plan. "We might need some more fireplaces, though. I also don't know if all that food is necessary."  
  
"Of course it's necessary. We're going to have at least three hundred people dancing for Merlin knows how long. Do you know how tiring it is to dance?" Tonks suddenly bit her lower lip. "What we'll need, though, is someone to make sure the food gets to the tables. I've tried talking to that Dobby you sent me to, Gin, but I'm worried he's a bit crackers."  
  
Hermione raised her eyebrows, "Actually, I was thinking we could get some of the younger students to do that. I mean, the house elves are usually so busy helping everyone get ready to leave at that time of year." Ginny suddenly had a chilling mental image of what that particular scenario entailed, based on the way Fred and George 'helped' their Mum get food on the table.  
  
It consisted of large kettles and platters chasing screaming first-years around the dance floor.  
  
"You know, Hermione, why don't you let me handle the food? I'm utterly hopeless when it comes to all this decorating but I've always been rather good at drawing up menus for parties at The Burrow. "  
  
"Great idea, Gin," Tonks said swiftly, as though she were afraid Hermione would attempt to push the house elf issue. Instead, Hermione merely nodded thoughtfully and made to pull out another magazine but Tonks put her hand out, stopping her. "Shall we call it an afternoon, then? Reconvene same time on Friday?"  
  
Ginny shook her head. "I've got Quidditch practice then."  
  
"Well, if you're going to be handling the food, then I reckon you needn't come to discuss the room. Hermione?"  
  
"Friday works for me."  
  
"Brilliant. I'll see you then. Ginny, owl me and let me know where you are with the menu by Friday night. We three can set up a time to get together again in a few weeks."  
  
Murmuring their goodbyes then, the trio split up. Tonks hung back to clean up McGonagall's office with a few flicks of her wand. Ginny and Hermione made their way back to the Gryffindor Common Room to drop their things off before dinner.  
  
"Say, Ginny." Hermione suddenly said, sounding uncharacteristically hesitant.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"About the.the party..did you..uhm...." She took a deep breath. "I was wondering-well, no, that's actually not quite accurate. It's not as though I'm wondering, but see, I can't really say." Her voice trailed off into uncomfortable silence.  
  
As Ginny had never quite heard Hermione make such little sense, she was unsure as to how to help her out.  
  
"Uhm.well, Ginny, on terms of asking people to the dance and-and.dates and such." She stopped again suddenly. "Good gracious, I've stuffed it up already," she muttered.  
  
"Hermione, is this about Ron?" Ginny asked, reckoning that if she could guess what on earth was going on, maybe it might ease her friend's ability to talk about it.  
  
For a split second, a completely startled look crossed Hermione's face. "Yes?" She said it as though she were a bit too distracted at present to know for sure. "I-I mean yes." Her voice took on a much more definite tone. "Yes, it's about Ron."  
  
Ginny smiled. "Listen, I'm thrilled he asked you, if that's what you're worried about. I was quite proud of him when he did it, actually."  
  
Hermione looked touched. "Really?"  
  
Ginny nodded vigorously. "Really. You're both so close and it's just that.well, it just seemed like such the right thing to do." She had been about to admit the fact that she'd always wanted a sister, but then she realized that she also didn't want to be the reason her friend panicked and broke the date with her brother as a result of being confronted with such a heavy sentiment.  
  
Hermione opened her mouth suddenly but then snapped it shut again, a mildly perturbed look on her face. It took her a few more seconds to compose herself but once she did, she sounded relatively normal. "Ginny, I was wondering if you could help me with something."  
  
"Anything."  
  
"I was hoping you would help me get ready for the party. I mean, on terms of getting dressed that evening." Ginny's face lit up as Hermione continued. "I already have a good set of dress robes, but I'm terrible at primping myself up properly for these things."  
  
"Oh, but you looked so pretty at the Yule Ball."  
  
Hermione cringed. "That was Lavender. She's a dear, but a bit heavy handed with beauty charms and I was hoping.since you always manage to look so nice."  
  
Ginny looked at her, surprised. "Me? You think I look nice?" She hazarded a glance down at the worn school robes she was wearing that had once belonged to Percy and noted how they bunched a bit in odd places on her skinny, awkward frame.  
  
"Well, your hair always falls so perfectly. Whenever I wrestle with mine, it just never seems to agree. And that rosy color you use on your lips is a very nice shade on you. I'm just so awful at picking out things like that, and I really do want to look presentable for the party." Hermione was blushing then, as though vaguely horrified to even be having this conversation in the first place.  
  
For her part, Ginny wanted to tell Hermione that she only knew a few beauty charms and tended to use them sparingly, not to mention the fact that she wasn't wearing anything on her lips at all, but she kept silent as she rather liked the idea of the two of them preparing for the party together. "I don't know how useful I can be, but I'd be happy to try."  
  
"Oh, that's wonderful. Thank you." Hermione seemed relieved.  
  
And with that, the girls went up the stairs to their respective rooms before reconvening a few minutes later to make their way to dinner.  
  
~*~  
  
"So, who is everyone taking to the DA party?" Ron asked loudly, leaning across the table with an enormous smile on his face. It seemed to Ginny that ever since he had got up the nerve to ask Hermione, he was on some irritating quest to make sure everyone else was properly set for the affair.  
  
"Lavender." Seamus said shortly before returning to his conversation with the girl in question.  
  
"Justin asked me," Padma responded.  
  
"I'll be going with Rufus Wilkes from Hufflepuff." Pavarti had a dreamy look about her when she said it and Ron rolled his eyes.  
  
"How about you, Harry?"  
  
"I'm going with Hannah Abbott," he said, barely looking up from the book Hermione was showing him.  
  
In complete defiance to every scrap of sense in Ginny's body, she felt her heart plummet. It shouldn't have been any great surprise that Harry would so easily find a date to the party but it truly wasn't until that moment that she had fully given up the hope that somehow, some way, he would end up asking her.  
  
"Neville?"  
  
"I-I asked Luna Lovegood. She said yes." At this, Harry did look up. Neville's ears turned pink.  
  
"Really, Neville? You asked Luna?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"That's bloody brilliant. Good show."  
  
Ginny, too, wanted to congratulate Neville but was so inexplicably irritated by Harry's sudden enthusiasm that she couldn't quite bring herself to chime in.  
  
"How about you, Hermione, who are you going with?"  
  
She gave him a withering glance. "You. I'm going with you, Ron. You know that."  
  
"Oh HO, Finnegan, pay up." Dean reached over the table, palm up, while the Irishman rummaged around in his robe pocket grumbling.  
  
"Couldn't have held out for just one more year, could you?" Seamus gave Hermione a dark look as he plunked the gold and silver coins into his dormitory mate's hand. She merely stared back at him, appalled, and luckily too distracted to see money exchanging hands at several different points down the table.  
  
"And you, Gin?" Ron turned his attention to her. "What lucky bloke will I have to beat to a pulp this time?"  
  
Having anticipated the question at some point, Ginny tried to recall how she'd phrased the response in her head. She was a bit annoyed that Ron was being so public in his inquiries, but on the same token, it might be best to get it all out this once so she wasn't continuously asked about it. Taking a deep breath, she braced herself for the stares she was sure to get. "Actually, Ron, I'm going alone."  
  
"Alone?" her brother repeated, as though it was a word in some strange, foreign tongue.  
  
"Yes. As in, by myself." She tried to block out what sounded like Pavarti letting out a mortified gasp and in doing so, her eyes accidentally darted in Harry's direction. He was staring at her with such a sympathetic look on his face that she fought the sudden flush of embarrassment.  
  
Ron's confusion still hadn't abated. "But didn't anyone-"  
  
"I think that's a brilliant idea," Hermione broke in, causing everyone to look in her direction. "That way, you're not tied down to any one person and can borrow other people's dates for dances. You'll be a free agent, Ginny."  
  
"Yes," Ron began, "but who in their right mind is-"  
  
"I'd love to dance with you." Neville cut him off smoothly, his blue eyes radiating eagerness. "I'm sure Luna wouldn't mind."  
  
Ginny smiled gratefully at him while Ron looked annoyed. Before he could say anything else, however, Dean Thomas poked his date Katie Bell. "What do you say, will you lend me out to a friend for a good cause?" The request was delivered with such sly charm that Ginny reckoned Katie wouldn't be able to say no.  
  
"Of course, though I doubt she'll want you," the blonde girl shot back and the table quickly erupted with laughter.  
  
Dinner continued from there at a much more relaxed pace and Ginny graciously accepted the handful of offers she got from other boys to fill up her imaginary dance card. By the time it was over and she was heading out of the Great Hall towards the library, she was actually more excited to go to the party than before. Going alone had been Luna's idea. At first Ginny and found the whole notion rather mad, but Luna had been so convincing that the plan had grown on her. There were times when her friend said things in such a manner that she almost seemed to be imitating Professor Trelawney during a vision. Her blue eyes would go slightly unfocused and she would stare off into space while whispering the words.  
  
In this particular case, it had happened during the Hogsmeade trip while at Honeydukes. Luna and Neville had met her there that afternoon after "running a few errands" together, and Ginny suspected that he had broached the subject with her, because she spontaneously brought it up shortly thereafter.  
  
"Have you decided on who you'll be going with, Ginny?" she'd asked while they were browsing through the assorted sweets.  
  
"To the party?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Actually, Dean asked me. I thought I might go with him."  
  
"Have you told him you would?"  
  
"No, not yet."  
  
"When did he ask you?"  
  
"Well, the first time he brought it up was about two weeks ago."  
  
"Why haven't you given him an answer yet?"  
  
She'd felt increasingly uncomfortable with the interrogation. "Well, I suppose it's because." Her voice trailed off. Because what? She didn't know.  
  
"Go alone," Luna had said softly then, her eyes trained on some point to the left, near Neville's ear. "Yes. Alone. That's the best course." It always gave Ginny a bit of a chill when Luna acted like that, but then, it also made her heed the advice.  
  
And so, she had approached Dean later that evening and gently told him of her plans. To his credit, he managed to cover his disappointment rather well and made quite the show of being supportive. He had also made her promise to dance with him at least a few times. In retrospect, it was really the only moment during that entire confusing period after he'd asked her to be his date that she truly regretted not having been able to say yes.  
  
"Hey Ginny."  
  
Jolting out of the memory, she turned and saw Harry jog up alongside her. Her heart fluttered in response and she couldn't quite fight the hopeful thought he might be coming to ask her if she would save a dance for him as well. She had been waiting for him to mention it while at the table, but instead, he had simply fallen silent and gone back to the book he was reading with Hermione. Perhaps that had been due to shyness and not indifference, as she had originally feared.  
  
"Hi Harry."  
  
"Listen, about the DA party."  
  
Her heart raced merrily along. "Yes?"  
  
"I.uhm.I'm really sorry that you're going alone."  
  
The hopeful feeling shattered. Trust Harry to make her feel humiliated over something that everyone else felt was a grand idea. Sometimes he was so like her brother it was no wonder they were best friends. "Yes, well, I'm not too worried."  
  
The hurt tone of her voice must have been a bit too apparent because he cringed. "Look, if I had known-"  
  
A panic seized her then, and before she knew what she was doing she blurted out, "It's not like no one asked me, you know."  
  
He stopped. "Oh."  
  
The last thing she wanted to be told was that, had he known she was going by herself, he would have asked her to go as his date. This was partially because it would be an excruciatingly big brotherish thing to say and partially because she knew she'd feel an acute sense of loss that he might have asked her for any reason at all.  
  
Taking a deep breath, she continued. "Yes, well Neville asked me once, as did Colin and Dennis. Oh, and Dean asked me twice, as a matter of fact." She didn't know why she added that last part. It was true, but seemed so blatantly unnecessary that she was almost certain Harry would discern the emotion behind the words.  
  
Instead, he just looked at her. "Okay."  
  
She tucked an errant red strand behind her ear and shifted her rucksack. "So, thanks for your.uhm.concern Harry, but I'm really glad to be going by myself." He just nodded at her slowly, his brows furrowed in thought. Eventually, it got to the point where the silence was so prolonged that she began to search her mind for something more to say. So intent was she on that particular task, that she almost had a seizure when he suddenly reached forward as though to touch her.  
  
"Hello there."  
  
For a split second, she thought he might be addressing her chest and felt rather annoyed with herself when she couldn't immediately decide whether or not that was a bad thing. Looking down, she realized he was actually speaking to her Familiar, who was sticking her head out of her pouch for the second time that day.  
  
Mesmerized, Ginny watched as he rubbed his index finger gently alongside the phoenix's beak. His knuckles were almost touching her waist as a result of the action and the thought of it suddenly made her skin tingle under her robes. Maeven's eyes grew heavy and half-lidded as though with sleep and when he stopped, she abruptly slid back into her pouch.  
  
He chuckled then. "Friendly, isn't she?"  
  
But Ginny couldn't really respond because she was riveted by the notion that he hadn't taken his hand away.  
  
He started touching the fabric of her robes absent-mindedly and she could almost feel the heat of his fingertips through the material. He had taken a step forward while talking and she fought the urge to step back. Something about his close proximity tended to make her feel lightheaded and she could never quite concentrate on what she was saying. "Are these.?"  
  
"They were Percy's." She forced herself to maintain eye contact and not to stare at his hand as she so sorely wanted to. "Somewhat of an awkward fit, but we're closest in build so Mum just altered them a bit for me." It was the sort of stupid, useless comment she would normally never think to say aloud, but his presence was unnerving her and she was thrilled to have managed to say anything coherent at all.  
  
His hand suddenly stilled on the fabric covering her arm and with a shock of surprise, she realized that he was staring at her, his green eyes searching. He licked his lips and her gaze caught on the tiny, flickering movement. She found her eyes shifting to his mouth, as her mind tried to weigh just how much trouble she'd get in if she were to just submit to the overwhelming impulse to kiss him right there. Perhaps if she did it fast enough, he'd be so confused she could convince him he'd imagined the whole thing.  
  
"Ginny." He drew her name out in such a way that her eyes fluttered in pleasure before looking back up at him.  
  
"Yes, Harry?"  
  
"Your hair."  
  
She bit back the urge to moan when she realized he was actually touching a piece of her hair. The gentle sensation of him holding it up was completely intoxicating. "Yes, Harry?"  
  
"Your hair.is really."  
  
She swayed forward.  
  
"It's really..long."  
  
And with that, the world snapped back into focus, the hazy, romantic feeling vanished and Ginny just stared at him. She nearly laughed then, but more out of happiness that mockery. It wasn't much by way of a compliment, but this was Harry, and she was enormously grateful for the fact that he even noticed she had hair at all. She was just about to thank him when the horrified choking noise in the back of his throat stopped her from doing so.  
  
"I-I mean-I mean-that's not what I mean!" He dropped her hair abruptly as though burned and started backing away. "I'm sorry, Gin. Gosh, that was really."  
  
"Sweet?"  
  
He was giving her a mystified look. "No, actually."  
  
She had valiantly tried not to tease him, but the opportunity seemed too good to pass up. "You mean you don't think my hair is long?" she asked, as though thoroughly disappointed.  
  
"Well, of course your hair is long, but that's not what I." He threw her a look as though he thought she was mad. "I have to be somewhere else. I should go."  
  
"Oh, well, okay." She was rather startled when he suddenly turned and walked away from her. "Bye," she said, aiming the farewell at his rapidly retreating figure. Torn between confusion and amusement, she was just about to head to the library when he suddenly spun around part way down the hall to face her.  
  
"That sash, did you make it?" he called over the din of the other students. She nodded. "It's very nice." He shouted back before setting his jaw, turning around and continuing on his way.  
  
Amusement stood in glorious triumph then and Ginny couldn't stop the smile that broke out over her face as she stared after him until he disappeared.  
  
The prickling sensation in the back of her mind indicated the Maeven had an opinion on the matter she was trying to share, but Ginny resolutely blocked it out for fear that analyzing what had just happened would tarnish the strange beauty of it.  
  
As a result, it wasn't until a good deal later when she realized that he had never asked her to dance.  
  
~*~  
  
"I-I can't do it. He just won't go."  
  
Neville's face was flushed and he was breathing hard from exertion while staring at Trevor. The green toad was sitting in front of him, eyeing him balefully.  
  
"Yes, you can. Come on now, you're very close, I can feel it." Ginny tried to keep her voice light in an attempt to mask her doubt.  
  
"But this is hard," Neville said softly, staring at the library table.  
  
"Which makes it all the more worth doing," Luna responded firmly. "Now, let's try it again." She put her hand on his shoulder as though to seal his resolve and Ginny watched in amusement as he obediently shook himself, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes in preparation to begin anew.  
  
She, Neville and Luna were continuing their informal DA/Familiars debriefing sessions and this week's lesson found Ginny trying to teach Neville to use the same sort of concentration techniques she had learned to communicate with Maeven on Trevor. Given Trevor's tendency to hop off at the worse possible times, the notion of giving Neville a bit more control over the toad was not only based on wisdom, but safety. They had started off slowly, just trying to nudge the obstinate animal into hopping the length of the table from his owner to Ginny. Unfortunately, in the past two hours, they had met with little success.  
  
"Perhaps he's just slow," he finally blurted in frustration after another failed attempt. "Makes sense, doesn't it? He's my Familiar and I'm slow so why shouldn't he be slow?"  
  
Ginny felt a pang in her heart at his words because she knew how rare it was for Neville to ever voice such personal feelings of inadequacy and it hurt to know that he had them.  
  
"Trevor is very clever, Neville, so you ought not say such things. It damages his confidence," Luna said quietly. "Instead, I think we should try lending him some encouragement, don't you?" She slipped her hand into his then, entwining their fingers before leaning over to regard the toad with a serious look on her face. "You're very bright, Trevor, and very agile. We all think so, don't we?" She prodded Neville gently. "Don't we now, Neville?"  
  
"Yes, I suppose we do," he responded weakly, clearly more interested in the fact that she was holding his hand instead of what she was saying.  
  
"Of course we do," she said to the toad.  
  
Ginny just watched from afar, a wistful smile on her face. There wasn't really a term to describe how things had changed ever since her friends had decided to go to the DA party together, but they had. Beyond just an increase in physical touching, there was a sweetness between them that had become so much more pronounced. Sometimes she thought of the threads that Maeven had temporarily revealed to her that morning she had first met the phoenix. She found herself wishing that Luna had been present at the time so she could have seen how her friend was connected to Neville. If she had had the opportunity to view their connection back then, Ginny would have tried to repeat the experience with Maeven now to see if there was a visible change.  
  
Returning her attention to the task at hand, Ginny noted that Neville's eyes were closed again. She felt a faint touch of trepidation over the thought that maybe they really were building things up too fast and that he really wasn't ready for this. For one thing, Ginny knew she was no Professor McGonagall and felt extremely ill at ease trying to pass along information that she herself had barely learned. She also knew with absolute certainty that Trevor had no blazing clue of what Luna had been saying, despite the girl's best efforts. Animals simply couldn't understand human speech.  
  
As a result of these thoughts, Ginny felt a rather huge bolt of shock to suddenly see the fat toad come bounding towards her before leaping onto her lap with a disturbingly wet-sounding thud. Slightly numb, she looked down at it. She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but there was something in his eyes that made him appear distinctly smug.  
  
Still in a complete state of disbelief, she returned her gaze to Neville, who was staring back at her, his mouth hanging agape. So great was his surprise, that he appeared entirely unaware of the fact that Luna was clinging to him, her arms around his neck, as she kissed his cheek enthusiastically. Ginny knew this to be true because he suddenly turned to the other girl as though about to say something, inadvertently causing her to plant a kiss on his lips.  
  
They sprang apart almost instantly, and Ginny looked down in embarrassment, immediately feeling as though she had witnessed something extremely private. She heard him mumble, "Sorry," to which Luna responded, "Don't be," and Ginny abruptly found herself wishing she wasn't stuck with a toad in her lap because she sorely wanted to make a hasty exit.  
  
For some reason, her mind flashed to Susan Bones and she wondered, not for the first time, where her friend had run off to. Luna and Neville's increasing closeness aside, she sincerely missed her Hufflepuff friend and realized they hadn't properly spoken to each other since the day Maeven had reverted to her chick form. The Familiar's class had progressed to more advanced one-on-one study with animals so Ginny hadn't been able to speak with Susan then and her friend always managed to be the first to dash out the door once the period was over. Despite the fact that Susan had begged off of the last three debriefing sessions due to school-related stress, Ginny rarely saw her in the library and only glimpsed her briefly in the halls between classes. She was starting to suspect that Susan was avoiding her friends, but couldn't be sure. She wanted to ask Justin Finch-Fletchley if she was spending her study time in the Hufflepuff Common Room, but couldn't find a way to phrase the question so that it didn't cause unnecessary alarm.  
  
Hufflepuff loyalty could sometimes slip into intrusiveness and the last thing she wanted was for Justin to stage a full-fledged intervention based on something that might be all in Ginny's head to begin with. Then again, there had been a time during her first year that Ginny herself had found cause to withdraw from her friends and the reason behind her decision was anything but innocuous. Even today, she wished she had been surrounded by people who cared enough to find out what was going on. Perhaps they could have stopped it.  
  
"You're amazing, you know that? Just amazing!" Neville grinned at Ginny as he bent to lift Trevor off of her lap. "Isn't he amazing?"  
  
His enthusiasm was so infectious that she grinned back before rising to stand, relieved that he and Luna had sorted out the awkwardness of a few minutes ago. "He is indeed amazing. Not entirely surprising, though, given the fact that he IS you Familiar."  
  
"Quite right, quite an amazing fellow," Neville said distractedly, holding Trevor up and grinning madly in the toad's face.  
  
Coming to stand alongside her, Luna linked arms with Ginny. "Thank you," she whispered, having caught the compliment that Neville had missed. "We couldn't have done it without you, though. You're a brilliant teacher, Gin."  
  
"Really brilliant!" Neville said supportively, before Ginny could protest. Putting Trevor back down on the table, he grabbed the two girls, hauling them unceremoniously into a three-way hug, which rapidly grew so tight that she couldn't breathe. Her face squeezed rather uncomfortably against his robes, the Hogwarts crest roughly imprinting itself on her cheek, Ginny tried to disengage her arm from Luna's so as to push the girl's blonde locks away from where they were smothering her face.  
  
"Neville, you're on my foot," she heard Luna's muffled voice say calmly, and his grip quickly loosened, allowing him time to briefly readjust before he abruptly yanked them together again.  
  
Having freed her arms during the pause, Ginny was able to hug them both back this time with equal ferocity. She was struck then by a sudden rush of emotion that was decidedly unexpected.  
  
For the first time in years, she felt really and truly safe.  
  
It was the sort of thing that made her wonder if she should laugh or cry because she knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that these were the kind of people she would love for a lifetime.  
  
Between the three of them, Tom Riddle never would have stood a chance.  
  
~*~  
  
End Part 7 


	8. In Preparation

A/N: The next three chapters (starting with this one) span the course of one evening-namely that of the DA party. As such, there will be a slight variation in the structure from what you might be used to. These chapters are what I like to think of as the nexus, or heart, of the story for many different reasons. As they all take place on the arc of this single event, stopping points might appear unnatural. Unfortunately, there's too much to fit into one part, so I'm going to try to get these out in as quick as succession as I can. Please bear with me in the interim-I hope you enjoy!  
  
To my beta readers Ashwinder and Chi: you push me to be a better writer and I adore you both for it. To my reviewers: thanks for making this journey an absurd amount of fun. And finally, to Maid Marian, whose feedback on one of the earlier chapters provided the basis for one of the most important scenes in this one: Just thanks.  
  
Part 8: In Preparation  
  
The start of December was a particularly painful experience for Ginny, given the disgusting amount of homework she was given. Ron assured her that things had been no different for him the previous year but she didn't quite believe him, as she never remembered seeing him spend as much time studying back then as she did now. Then again, Ron's lack of apparent effort might have acted as foreshadowing for his fairly mediocre O.W.L. results.  
  
It soon seemed that the library and the Quidditch pitch were the only two realities that existed for her and neither were particularly pleasant. Studying with Luna and Neville was becoming increasingly difficult as they had a tendency to whisper to each other almost non-stop making it difficult to concentrate. Desperation finally forced her to stalk and corner Susan one day and they made a date to sit together during the Slytherin/Hufflepuff Quidditch match to talk.  
  
The game had been incredibly close up until Slytherin won due to something that Ginny could only view as complete and utter dumb luck. Malfoy had been chasing Hufflepuff Seeker Alex Summersby around in circles when the Snitch had actually flown down the front of his robes. To hear Malfoy talk about it afterwards, one would think that he'd risked his life to catch the silly thing, but from Ginny's perspective the only real risk involved was the fact that the fluttering ball might have accidentally made it down his knickers.  
  
To make matters worse, Susan informed Ginny that she was not going to the DA party at all, despite having received an invitation, because she was busy with 'other things'. When pressed to reveal specifically what those other things were, she demurred and bolted at the first available opportunity leaving Ginny confused and alone, standing outside the portrait of the Fat Lady.  
  
Gryffindor's Quidditch practice wasn't much better as the biting cold was wearing the entire team down, in addition to the increase in workload they were all suffering from. Even Harry had lost much of his edge having twice accidentally knocked Dean off of his broom while demonstrating strikes with the Beaters. After a near third incident, Katie removed him from assisting Chelsea and Amir altogether. Citing the fact that she'd like to see her date survive just long enough to escort her to the DA party, she banned Harry from so much as touching a bat until after Christmas and assigned him to working with Ginny and Ron. Things seemed to go a bit more smoothly after that.  
  
Preparations for the DA party also grew increasingly hectic at that time, to the point where Ginny regretted having volunteered to oversee the menu. For two weeks solid she was forced to make trips to the kitchens each morning to correct mistakes and clarify ingredients for the twenty or so elves that had been assigned to help with the food. Just when she thought Dobby really was crackers, as Tonks had so artfully put it, he turned up with three days left to spare carrying an impeccable list of what she'd asked for and samples for her to try.  
  
Lucky for Ginny, she was saved from being present for the biggest scare leading up to the party, which she only found out about from Hermione after the fact. The evening before the event, she and Tonks had been standing outside The Room of Requirement, envisioning what they wanted based on the floor plan, when Lupin unexpectedly turned up. Had it not been for Tonks's reflexes and Hermione's focus, Ginny had no doubt they would have been caught. In the end, Tonks managed to distract Lupin long enough for Hermione to concentrate the DA space back into existence before he entered.  
  
With everything suddenly in place on the morning of the party and Quidditch practice cancelled for reasons that Ginny felt had more to do with Katie Bell's need to primp than anything else, she found herself with a relatively free day. She had been hoping to pass some of the time with Harry as they had spent many of their evenings together studying. She reckoned she had grown a bit spoiled by his constant company, since his current absence had her yearning for him with an acuteness that reminded her of her first year. Unfortunately, a quick search of the library, the Common Room and the Great Hall turned up nothing. Ron was also mysteriously missing and Hermione was using her afternoon to do some studying for the sinful number of classes she was taking. Neville had managed to get himself an afternoon detention with Professor Snape for blowing up his cauldron and causing everyone in the room to go blind for three hours. Luna, too, was nowhere to be found. Ginny wouldn't have been surprised if the girl had been sitting quietly outside of the Potions classroom waiting for him to come out.  
  
So, in the end, Ginny retired to her room to read by herself. It was with no small amount of amusement that she watched several of the girls in her dormitory start getting ready as early as three in afternoon. Since Hermione wasn't set to come over until 5:30, she read straight through the whirlwind of activity going on around her. By the time Hermione's scheduled arrival had come and gone, the dormitory room was deserted and Ginny started getting dressed without her.  
  
She had just finished putting on some light makeup when she heard a knock on her door.  
  
"Gin, it's me." Hermione's muffled voice barely penetrated the wood.  
  
"Come in." She called, turning away from her mirror, "Where have you been? I was expecting you nearly half an hour ago.Oh, Hermione, you look breathtaking!"  
  
Her friend smiled shyly. "Really?" She was wearing a pale peach set of dress robes that coupled a fitted bodice with a long flowing multi-layered skirt. Her hair had been swept up into an elegant twist that accentuated the delicate arc of her neck and gleamed beautifully whenever it caught the light. The overall effect was to give her a graceful, radiant look.  
  
Ginny couldn't quite contain her excitement over Ron's impending reaction. "The robes are a stunning color-and your hair! How did you get it up like that? Goodness, I know we're supposed to do it the other way 'round, but I think from now on you should help me get ready."  
  
Hermione laughed. "No, no, I'm afraid you're giving me much too much credit. I was attacked, you see." At Ginny's uncomprehending look, she continued. "Two hours ago, when I came upstairs to get my Arithmancy book, Lavender and Pavarti were already half-way done getting ready and they all but pounced on me, sat me down and forced me to submit to their madness. The hair alone took almost all of the time. They were going to start in on my makeup, but I told them I was leaving that to you. It was honestly the only way I was able to escape."  
  
Ginny grinned. "Well, then, take a seat."  
  
Hermione did as she was told. "I really like what you're wearing, too, Gin. It's a very smart cut and the stitching on the neckline is so pretty."  
  
It was then that Ginny remembered the simple dark green robes she was wearing and she frowned. Compared to Hermione's clothes, which surrounded her with an aura of soft, luscious femininity, Ginny thought her plainer robes made her look a bit like a dowdy nun. "You don't think it's too casual, do you? I feel underdressed."  
  
"No, no, I just saw lots of girls in the Common Room and many of them were dressed more informally." Hermione paused. "Wait-do I look overdone to you?"  
  
"No!" Ginny said quickly. "Not at all!"  
  
"You're being honest? I really don't want to appear as though I spent hours trying to look presentable. I mean, I'd like to look as though I've put effort in to looking nice, but I don't want to seem too-"  
  
"Hermione!" Ginny cut in, laughing. "You look fine!" She had never seen her friend so easily flustered and there was something endearing to know that her brother was the cause of it.  
  
The rest of their time together was filled with mindless, excited chatter as Ginny fixed a few different color palettes for Hermione and they mixed and matched them in turn, looking for the perfect combination. Ultimately, they settled on darkening and defining her eyes while pairing that with a subtle shimmery lip gloss that was just a shade darker into the orange spectrum than her robes. A light dusting of blush completed the look and they were just about to start on Ginny's hair when they were interrupted by a loud thud.  
  
"That sounded like something hitting the window." Hermione walked over and peered outside. "But I don't see anything." Unsnapping the latch, she hefted up the heavy glass pane, and leaned her head out. "No," she said after a few moments, "there's nothing out here." She lifted her hands to close it again, when suddenly something small, fast, and brown came hurtling towards her from above.  
  
Hermione let out a surprised shriek as Pigwidgeon came tumbling into the room at such a speed he smacked into her chest, his wings fluttering wildly against her neck for a few moments before falling down, bouncing off the ground, and taking off towards Ginny.  
  
Used to the bird's spastic behavior, Ginny merely held out her hands and sure enough, a folded piece of paper struck her palms just before Pig smacked into the ceiling and fell down onto her bed with a weak hoot.  
  
Quickly opening up the message, she was surprised to find several black elastic pieces with buttons attached to them enclosed. Most of them tumbled to the ground when she unsealed the parchment but she managed to catch one and spared it a glance. Hermione picked up the remaining scattered items as Ginny scrutinized the note.  
  
Gin, what in blue blazes are these stupid things? Please help us.  
  
Come soon!  
  
Ron (and Harry)  
  
"What is this?" Hermione asked, holding up one of the elastic pieces.  
  
Ginny laughed. "It's for men's dress robes. Most of them use charms, but some of the heavier ones come with these pieces to secure sections in place since fabric charms tend to have a short duration. I know because my dad has a set of robes he wears for Ministry functions that uses them." She passed Hermione the note. "It appears that I'm needed in the boys' dormitory. You won't tell the Prefect on me, will you?"  
  
Hermione smiled but hesitated for a moment. Eventually, she shook her head. "Just be quick about it. We still need to do your, hair, you know."  
  
"I think I'll just plait it. Do you know how to do a French braid, Hermione?"  
  
The other girl shook her head.  
  
"Then don't worry, I'll take care of it when I get back. You needn't hang about here if you have other things to do."  
  
"Okay, I think I'll do a quick check of the girls' dormitory to make sure everyone is settled. Afterwards, I'll wait for you all in the Common Room."  
  
They parted company after that, and Ginny quickly made her way up the stairs to the boys' sixth year dormitory. She was walking down the hall, just starting to wonder where, exactly, her brother had obtained such nice dress robes that they had these buttons when she all but tripped over him.  
  
"Ginny!" Ron looked exceedingly pleased to see her. "That was fast. I didn't know if you would come."  
  
"Oh my." She was regarding her brother with genuine awe. He was dressed in a striking black set of robes that were cut perfectly to display his broad shoulders and athletic build. His hair had been tamed into some semblance of a part and he was smiling proudly under her gaze. "Ron, you look.Merlin, Ron, you look like a proper gentleman. Is Colin in there? We really need to send a picture home to Mum. I don't think she'd recognize you."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, funny," Ron grumbled, although he looked distinctly pleased with himself.  
  
She opened her mouth to inquire after the origins of his outfit when Harry suddenly appeared behind him.  
  
"Ron, I think I know what those things are for. See, right under the cuff, there's this-" He stopped and smiled. "Ginny! I didn't even see you. Thanks for coming."  
  
He was dressed in an almost identical set of robes as her brother, but, for Ginny, the effect was entirely different. First, she felt a pulse of heat flood through her chest, followed by a tingling sensation exploding in her stomach. Then her mouth dried up completely. She felt as though she had been entirely robbed of her ability to speak. Normally that only happened when he was standing too close to her but now he was a good ten feet away. She nodded weakly at him and tried not to think about how bad this boded for her general concentration this evening. She'd be lucky if she didn't trip and fall into a fireplace.  
  
Seemingly unconcerned about her lack of a verbal response, Harry continued with his observation. "So, Ron, if you turn your wrist over, you'll see there's this little hole and I think it's for the button to attach the robes to your undershirt so they don't slide down like they're doing right now."  
  
"He's right," Ginny chimed in, trying to ignore the dizziness that was still fogging up her mind. "They're there to secure the robes in place. I know because Dad has a set that uses them."  
  
"He does?" Ron asked. "I've never noticed that."  
  
"Well, that's because he's always had to come to me to do them up since Mum was usually too busy chasing after you boys to help him get ready. It shouldn't take too long, actually. They're really not too difficult to attach but a few are in hard to reach places."  
  
"Well, then, it's a good thing you're here, Gin." Harry beckoned her to follow him. "Come on inside."  
  
With that, they trooped out of the hall and into the dormitory room. The moment she crossed the threshold into the room, she wrinkled her nose in response to the overpowering scent of battling colognes. Seamus let out a startled gasp when he saw her and quickly started shoving things under his bed that looked suspiciously like dirty clothing. "Crikey, Weasley, how about a warning next time you're bringing ladies in to the room?"  
  
"Oh it's just Ginny," Ron said dismissively and she stifled a sigh in response.  
  
Just as she'd predicted, it didn't take long to get the buttons snapped into place, and she was just putting a temporary vanishing spell on the attachments for both boys when Seamus left to meet Lavender in the Common Room.  
  
"Thanks a lot, Gin," Ron said, examining the way the robes fell in the mirror. "Say, shouldn't you be dressed?" he asked, walking past her. "We're meeting Hermione downstairs in twenty minutes and doesn't it take you girls hours to get ready? Has anyone seen my shoes?"  
  
Ginny let out an irritated noise and was about to inform her brother that she was, in fact, dressed already but paused when Harry just shook his head and rolled his eyes.  
  
"A bit thick, isn't he?" he said. "That green looks nice on you, Gin."  
  
She beamed at him then, reveling in the pleasure of having caught his notice.  
  
"Good show, Harry!" Ron nudged his best friend jovially on his way to looking for his shoes. "Hermione's right: girls really do like to be complimented."  
  
It took a few seconds for his words to make their way into her Harry-addled brain, but when they did, the smile dropped right off of her face. Hermione's right? A bitter cold feeling washed over her. Oh sweet Merlin, no.  
  
Ron glanced back at the tense silence that had fallen over the room and instantly caught the borderline murderous look he was getting from his best friend. An expression of frantic searching crossed his features as though he were rewinding the last few seconds of the conversation to try and work out what had just happened. Suddenly, he looked over at his sister.  
  
"Which is not to say at ALL that the compliments are insincere," he continued in a rushed tone as though he had merely taken a twenty second pause between his first and second statement.  
  
She simply stared at an invisible point on the floor, her mind reeling.  
  
"Ginny."  
  
That meant that everything nice she had thought about him in the past month or so was directly attributable to Hermione Granger. The apology, the time he'd almost said he would have taken her to the party if he'd known she was going alone, the part where he'd complimented her hair and her sash, the moment, less than a minute ago, when he had said he liked what she was wearing. It had all been because Hermione told him girls liked that sort of thing. Goodness gracious, he was probably just practicing on her in preparation for.well, in preparation for someone he was actually interested in.  
  
"Ginny?"  
  
Sweet, helpful Hermione who Ginny could not, even now, hold at fault for this mess had unwittingly led Harry to act-. She stopped herself then and closed her eyes against the bitter disappointment flooding through her. This was precisely why she made sure she never got her hopes up. Blast him for making her feel this way.  
  
"Ginny!" Ron's voice had taken on a desperate tone during his sister's silence and it finally broke her out of her reverie. She just looked at him then, a clear hurt in her eyes.  
  
"What, Ron?" she asked, in a tired voice.  
  
Having finally received her attention, he didn't seem to know what to do with it. "Well, it's just that-" He shot Harry a panicked look, but it went ignored as the dark haired boy's gaze was fixed on Ginny. "I mean, don't girls like that sort of thing? Hermione isn't wrong, is she? Girls really do like to be complimented, right?"  
  
"Actually, girls like it even more when they're told the truth. They would much rather that boys be honest with them." The response was directed at Ron, but her gaze was locked on Harry's as she said the words. "Empty compliments don't mean much to most respectable girls."  
  
"Empty?" Ron croaked the word. "But, Gin, you don't know that-"  
  
"Yes, well it doesn't matter what she knows, does it? Your sister has a real talent for expecting the worst of people," Harry cut in coldly.  
  
On top of everything else, Ginny felt as though she'd been slapped. The silence, she'd been expecting. The direct verbal assault had come out of seemingly nowhere and she was rapidly starting to wonder just who on earth Harry Potter really was. Anger flared above the hurt and she took a step forward. "Really, Harry? Do I now? Well, perhaps I'm fortunate that you always meet my expectations." He flinched and it just made her feel worse.  
  
Ron cleared his throat nervously. "Now, now.let's not start saying things that we're all going to-"  
  
"Shut up, Ron!" Harry spat. "I think we've heard enough from you for one night."  
  
Ginny had been thinking something remarkably similar, but the fact that she hadn't been the one to say it only served to make her angrier. "You want to know what your talent is, Harry? Being senselessly callous, mean, and selfish!"  
  
"Well at least I'm not pathetic!" he burst out.  
  
It was as though someone had suddenly grabbed her heart and was squeezing it violently. "What?" She could barely choke out the word.  
  
"Well, it's another one of your bloody talents: forcing us to ask you questions we already know the answer to."  
  
Her breath hitched in her throat.  
  
"Say, Ginny, do you want to join the DA again? Well, of course you don't, we all know you don't, but you still insisted on being asked!"  
  
"How do you know I didn't want to join? Who the bloody hell are you to tell me that I wouldn't have said yes if you hadn't asked me in such a terrible way like the arrogant fool that you are?" The truth spilled out accidentally in her anger.  
  
Harry suddenly turned sheet white. "Arrogant, am I?" he whispered.  
  
She suddenly realized she might have gone a tad too far.  
  
"So you would have said yes, eh? Well how about this for a question I already know the answer to: 'Say, Ginny, do you want to be my date to the DA party?'"  
  
She couldn't believe it. He was throwing it all in her face. He knew how she felt and he was throwing it right back into her face. "I'd rather go with Malfoy," she whispered, unable to control her trembling voice, before she turned on her heel and stormed out of the room.  
  
She had almost made it to the stairs when she felt a sharp tug on her arm and she spun around in fury, coming nose to nose with her brother. He looked so anxious that his freckles stood out starkly in contrast to his pale skin. "Ginny, wait, please-"  
  
"Not now, Ron." She tried to dismiss him but he started to pull her back towards the room.  
  
"Please talk to him, please don't leave it this way-this is my fault-you don't understand-"  
  
"No, of COURSE I don't understand!" she burst out, causing Ron to abruptly drop her arm. "He never tells me ANYTHING so how on earth am I supposed to understand?" Feeling a wretched surge of unwanted tears, she held her hands up in supplication and lowered her voice. "Ron, what do you expect me to do? He doesn't want me to understand."  
  
"Yes, he does!"  
  
"No, he doesn't!" she ground out angrily. "Honestly, Ron, I HATE when you do this!"  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"Defend him! Why are you always defending him to me?"  
  
Ron looked away then and was silent for a moment. "Listen, Ginny, can't you believe me because I'm your brother and I'm telling you that he really does want you to understand? Can't you just trust me?"  
  
She shook her head then in frustration. "Don't you get it, Ron? It's precisely because you're my brother that I hate when you do this. For once in your life, why can't you actually defend me instead of him? Every bloody time there's a fight you NEVER take my side."  
  
"I'm not taking anyone's side! All I'm saying is that Harry's our friend and if you'd just listen-"  
  
"No," she cut him off coldly, "Harry is not OUR friend. Harry is YOUR friend and even you have to admit that he's exerted an awful lot of effort making that clear. Every bloody second I start to think differently, he does something to remind me that how he feels about you and Hermione is entirely different compared to how he feels about me."  
  
Ron looked stricken. "Ginny, how can you say that? You can't honestly believe-"  
  
"Ron, if you really want to do us both some good, march right back in there and just ask him. Ask him why he insists on acting like a complete and total prat when all I've ever done is to try to be his friend." Her eyes caught then on the shape over Ron's shoulder and she realized with shock that Harry was standing in the doorway of the dormitory, a stony expression on his face. The dark look in his eyes left her no doubt that he'd heard every word she'd said.  
  
She forced herself not to care.  
  
Ron glanced over his shoulder, following the direction of her gaze, and he beckoned the other boy to join them. "Harry, mate.come on now."  
  
But Ginny couldn't let him. She couldn't let Ron act the mediator. She was just too angry and it was to the point where she resented the push she was getting from her brother.  
  
Matching Harry's glare with one of her own, she threw him a nasty smile. "I suppose we can add eavesdropping to your list talents, eh?" And with that, she turned and fled down the hall at as dignified a speed as she could.  
  
Arriving in her dormitory room a few minutes later, she had just started to tear off her green robes, resolute in her intention not to go to the party at all, when someone burst in.  
  
Ginny yelped at the unexpected intrusion and grabbed part of her bed curtain to drape over her partially exposed frame. She slowly lowered the covering when she realized who it was. "Hermione, you can tell Ron that he can just-"  
  
"I'm not here for Ron, Ginny, I'm here for you. What on earth are you doing?"  
  
"Getting undressed."  
  
"But why?"  
  
"I'm not going."  
  
"Oh, come on, Ginny."  
  
"No, I'm not going, Hermione. I've got nothing suitable to wear."  
  
"What do you mean you have nothing to wear? Your robes are lovely, Ginny."  
  
"No, no they're not! For Merlin's sake, Hermione, look at what you're wearing. I don't own anything even CLOSE to that. Besides, on top of not having anything to wear, I'm simply too angry to share a room with Harry right now."  
  
"But Ginny-"  
  
"No, Hermione, absolutely not. I feel like I'd be more attractive wearing wallpaper."  
  
Hermione sighed then. "Look, Ginny, let's make a deal. If I take care of the first, do you think you can endure the second?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"If I can get you something more formal to wear, will you be willing to go? Before you say no, please remember how much effort we put in to this. Tonks will be devastated if you don't come and I can't even imagine what Professor Lupin will think. Please Ginny, don't let the fact that Harry is acting like a git spoil everyone's evening."  
  
Ginny paused then, realizing miserably that she was as equally susceptible to Hermione's blinding logic as everyone else evidently was. "But where on earth are you going to get something for me to wear at this hour? Almost everyone is at the party already and I'm much too short for anything you own."  
  
"You let me handle that," her friend responded firmly.  
  
When Hermione finally returned, Ginny had been sitting alone on her bed in her undergarments, staring desolately at the floor for almost ten full minutes.  
  
"Come on, Ginny, up with you," she said briskly. "We haven't got much time."  
  
Looking up, Ginny was surprised to see that Hermione wasn't alone. Striding behind her, carrying a black case, was none other than Pavarti Patil. It wasn't until the Indian girl moved to put the case on Ginny's bed that she saw Luna Lovegood bringing up the rear.  
  
"Hi Ginny," Luna said, smiling serenely. "Try this on, will you?" She thrust what appeared to be a bundle of fabric into her arms.  
  
Gingerly holding it up, Ginny stared at the gleaming white robes with intricate green and gold trim that had been given to her. "What's this?"  
  
"They're mine, but I'm not quite built to fill them properly just yet. I think they might be perfect for you."  
  
"And if they aren't, well, I can do a bit of minor adjusting," Pavarti said. "I also brought a few of my and Lavender's robes, just in case. Between the three of us, I think we can find something that will work."  
  
Ginny's stunned expression over Pavarti's generosity was obscured by the fact that Hermione was tugging Luna's white robes over her head. "Hold still now."  
  
"Hermione, I can dress myself!" Despite it all, Ginny almost laughed at the hen-like mothering she was being subjected to. Struggling to put her arms through the sleeves, she turned her attention back to Pavarti. "Thank you so much for doing this, but I wouldn't want to keep you from getting to the party on time. Isn't your date-" She searched her mind for the boy's name.  
  
"Rufus Wilkes," Pavarti supplied helpfully as she rummaged through the black case.  
  
"Ah, yes. Isn't he waiting for you?"  
  
Pulling out a few sheets of parchment, Pavarti glanced at Ginny and shook her head before staring down at the spells written upon them. "No, we had already left for the party when we bumped into Hermione in the hall on her way to get Luna. He's gone on ahead without me and I told him I might be a bit, so it's fine. How do you feel about a curling charm?"  
  
"What?"  
  
Pavarti raised an eyebrow. "For your hair, Ginny. I think it'd look rather precious."  
  
The last time someone had attempted a curling charm on Ginny, she'd ended up looking like a poodle and it had taken three days to get her traumatized locks back in order. "Uhm, no thank you. Listen, Pavarti, please don't worry yourself on terms of beauty charms. Really, you're already doing so much for me with the robes."  
  
Making a dismissive sound, Pavarti tapped her wand right above Ginny's bosom and the material pulled in slightly where it had been hanging loose. "Oh please, I love doing this sort of thing. If my parents weren't so intent on my becoming a mediwizard, I swear I'd apply to be a fashion correspondent for Witch Weekly. Turn around now."  
  
Obediently, Ginny turned and felt gentle taps from Pavarti's wand on her hips and at the small of her back.  
  
"I think this should hold for the rest of the evening, Ginny. Well, at least until midnight, or so," Pavarti said. "No promises after that."  
  
"Careful, Ginny, or you'll be turning into a pumpkin when the clock strikes twelve." At the curious stares from the other girls, Hermione's smile faded and she shifted uncomfortably. "Never mind. Muggle story," she muttered.  
  
"Right then." Pavarti threw her an odd look before turning to back to Ginny. "Now what about that hair of yours?"  
  
"I was just going to plait it," she responded.  
  
"Oh, but that's so boring!" Pavarti wailed, drawing out that last word. "Come on now, I could do so much better than that if you'd just let me-"  
  
"Pavarti, I really don't feel comfortable doing anything drastic with my hair. I mean, honestly, I just want something to keep it out of my face and make me look half-way decent."  
  
"Fine, fine, but if you're going to insist on being obstinate, the least you can do is let me plait it my way. No magic necessary, I promise."  
  
Not being able to come up with a particularly compelling reason to turn the other girl down, Ginny gave her assent and was pleasantly surprised twenty minutes later when Pavarti finally allowed her to get a look in the mirror. The white robes really were quite becoming and enhanced her red hair while complementing her pale complexion. The fact that some of the gold in the trim matched the natural golden streaks in her locks certainly didn't hurt. As for the issue of Ginny's hairstyle, Pavarti had pulled it back from the top and sides, twisting and weaving pieces into an intricate design that was secured with silver pins in the back of her head. The rest of her hair remained untouched, its slightly wavy texture cascading down her back. Turning her head to the side, Ginny suddenly realized that the strands seemed to have an almost abnormally perfect shine to them.  
  
Pavarti caught her questioning glance in the mirror and shrugged with a slightly wicked smirk. "It's only a glossing charm. I'd be happy to remove it, though, if you don't like it."  
  
"No," Ginny responded, a bit more quickly than she had intended to. "It's fine."  
  
"It's beautiful," Hermione said softly.  
  
"Yes, it really is," Luna echoed.  
  
"Thank you so much, Pavarti." Ginny grinned. "You've made me look presentable and that's more than I imagined possible. I never realized you were so talented at this sort of thing."  
  
"Well, I have been known to be helpful sometimes," Pavarti sniffed in mock offense as she repacked her case. Ginny wondered for a second if the other girl was actually privy to her rather unflattering reputation of being somewhat soft-headed at times. She silently resolved that, from that moment forward, she would never say anything ill about Pavarti Patil no matter how tempting the occasion that presented itself. It wasn't too bad, really.  
  
After all, Padma was still fair game.  
  
"Well, let's be off then," Hermione said. "If we rush, we can probably make it to the DA room before Professor Lupin is supposed to arrive at 7:30. Let's just hope he isn't early."  
  
"I'm going to put this back in my room, refresh myself, and meet you at the party," Pavarti responded. She flashed them a brilliant smile before hurrying off.  
  
The three remaining girls quickly made their way out of Ginny's dormitory and down the hall. "Ron must be losing his mind wondering where we are. I'm shocked he didn't send Pig after us again," Hermione said.  
  
"Ron!" Ginny yelped, having entirely forgotten about her brother and, for that part, the boys in general. "Oh no, I didn't even think about the fact that he's been waiting." Did that mean that Harry.?  
  
"Not to worry, Neville has been keeping him company and he's extremely patient," Luna said as they all but flew down the stairs.  
  
Rushing into the Common Room, Ginny realized with equal parts relief and frustration that Harry wasn't there.  
  
"Well, it's about bloody time," Ron said from where he had been clearly pacing in front of the portrait hole. Neville stood from where he had been seated in an armchair and silently offered his arm to Luna who took it gracefully.  
  
"We've got just over fifteen minutes to get there, Ron," Hermione responded in her most soothing voice, although the panic in her eyes was fairly apparent.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ron, this is my fault," Ginny said and at this, her brother's expression softened a bit.  
  
"Fine then, we can discuss it later, let's just get there before we miss the surprise."  
  
And with that, they scrambled out of the portrait hole and all but raced down towards the DA room. It took them less than five minutes to cover most of the distance, but the last few hallways were proving the trickiest to maneuver as Ron had insisted that they all stop running and instead dart from point to point behind statues, columns and assorted wall coverings just in case Lupin was around. He was doing it with such ease that Ginny started to think that he'd had an awful lot of practice with this sort of thing. Hermione had appeared exceptionally annoyed when he'd first started, but by the time they were approaching the door of the room, she had a look of breathless excitement as he dragged her by her hand from place to place.  
  
Ginny let out a sigh of relief as she saw the sign for the DA room and noted that it was still bright green. Tonks had charmed it to turn back to its dull silver color if Lupin was in the vicinity and that would trigger another charm which turned the lights red on the inside of the room to warn everyone that he was coming.  
  
"Ready?" Ron whispered, glancing back at Ginny, Neville, and Luna. He tugged Hermione closer and shifted his weight as though about to make a run for it.  
  
Not really, Ginny reckoned, suddenly realizing that even after they got into the room safely, she would still have to face Harry. She sighed. The evening had started off so beautifully and now she was regarding it with the same enthusiasm that she would a detention with Snape.  
  
Luna squeezed her hand gently then and Ginny took a deep breath, trying to shake off her negative thoughts. She was going to have a good time tonight, even if it was the death of her. With Merlin as her witness, Harry Potter was not going to spoil another day of her life, least of all this one. Bracing herself, she saw a rustle of movement and suddenly Ron and Hermione dashed the last few feet across the hall and into the room.  
  
Moments later, she, Luna and Neville bolted after them.  
  
~*~  
  
End Part 8 


	9. Breaking Point

Part Nine: Breaking Point  
  
Getting to the party had been such a ridiculous production that it was rather anti-climactic to realize that no one so much as looked up at their entrance.  
  
Well, almost no one.  
  
Ginny had been the last to be pulled through the door and she had released Luna's hand upon crossing the threshold so as to close it behind her. Leaning heavily against the wood, her eyes skimmed her surroundings, drinking in the scene around her. The room was filled with what appeared to be well over two hundred students, mostly Gryffindors and Ravenclaws, but with a substantial number of Hufflepuffs and, Ginny was surprised to note, a handful of Slytherins. The Slytherins seemed to be composed primarily of younger students and they were standing together near one of the fireplaces in what she considered a decidedly anti-social sort of way.  
  
A gentle waltz was already playing but no one had taken to the dance floor just yet. She spotted Seamus and Lavender sitting by the fire with Katie and Dean. Luna had run over to greet some Ravenclaws Ginny recognized, dragging Neville along with her. Cho Chang was a part of that group, although Michael Corner wasn't with her. It took Ginny a moment before she spotted him leaning against the wall on the other side of the room, saying something to Ernie MacMillan.  
  
Her brother's red hair caught her eye then and she realized why he and Hermione had made a beeline directly to the food table upon entering the dance. Harry was standing there with Hannah Abbot in her deep scarlet colored robes. Ginny fully expected him to ignore her completely, but was incredibly surprised when their eyes met across the sea of people and a look of pure anguish crossed his face. Every nasty plan she had envisioned for him on the way over from the Common Room flew out of her mind as she was suddenly overcome with the need to make amends. The thought had no sooner registered in her mind when Harry suddenly pushed past Ron and headed in her direction, closing the gap between them with long, purposeful strides.  
  
Tonks abruptly filled Ginny's line of vision, blocking her view of Harry altogether. "I thought I was going to have an aneurysm, what with you and Hermione sauntering in nearly an hour late." Clad in pale green robes that reminded Ginny of Blaise Zabini's eyes, she was in her natural state, her dark brown hair pulled up in sleek ponytail. "What took you so long?"  
  
Startled, Ginny took a moment to respond. "Oh, I'm sorry about that. There was a bit of a crisis and it's my fault, really." She tried to angle herself in such a way that she could see around the Auror. "Everything looks lovely, though. You and Hermione outdid yourselves."  
  
Her comment clearly did little to appease Tonks's irritation, but that quickly became a moot point when the lights suddenly flashed a dark red. Tonks jumped, startled, and Ginny saw a flash of black hair behind her.  
  
From that point on, the party was thrown into a sort of organized chaos. Students began darting every which way, some diving behind the furniture, others sneaking under the food table. Neville and Luna collided with a few of the young Slytherins in their mad dash, but they all managed to pick themselves up and run for cover behind some window curtains. Before she could think of where to run, she suddenly felt someone grab her arm and was surprised to see that Hermione was yanking her behind the enchanted fir closest to the door. Ginny saw her brother run past and drag Harry to a dark corner unlit by the fireplaces.  
  
"Oh, blast! Tonks looked around wildly as the last of the students scampered out of sight and she frantically started smoothing down her robes. "Shush, everyone, shush!" The stifled laughter echoing around the room quickly stopped. "Finite Incantatem," she muttered, causing the red light to fade just as the doorknob turned.  
  
"Tonks?" The sound of Professor Lupin's tentative call made Ginny surge forward in anticipation.  
  
He nudged the door open a bit more and it was about then that she heard Hermione gasp softly next to her. Unlike the other occupants of the room, they could see him fairly well from their vantage point and the light from the hall flooded in behind him, illuminating his profile. In addition to being dressed in better robes than Harry and Ron, his longish hair had been carefully brushed back from his face and he was smiling into the darkness in a way that made him almost shockingly handsome. Ginny had never seen him look so genuinely happy but she knew that Hermione hadn't gasped because of what he was wearing or how he looked. Instead, it had to do with what he was carrying. Peering between the branches of the fir, she could see that he held a massive bouquet of dark red roses behind his back.  
  
She stole a glance at Tonks and it was clear that the Auror had spotted them too because instead of responding, she just stood there, illuminated by the soft glow of the fire, staring at where the red was showing from behind him.  
  
"Tonks?" He stepped inside fully, his eyes adjusting to the dimmer light inside and, for the first time, he registered how different the room looked. "Tonks? What's all this?"  
  
Her eyes flickered up to his and she just let out a small, awed laugh as though she still wasn't quite comprehending him but it was swallowed up by the collective shout of the students leaping out from their hiding places to announce their presence.  
  
Lupin started, stepping away so quickly he was almost back out in the hall, but a shaky smile soon broke out over his face as he began to recognize the students rushing towards him. With a slight flick of his wrist, the flowers disappeared and he stepped back inside to greet them properly.  
  
"Did you see.?" Hermione whispered unnecessarily.  
  
"Yes." Ginny responded. Her friend gripped her arm for a moment as they exchanged looks of pure delight.  
  
Ginny loved being in on the secret that, beneath her bookish exterior, Hermione Granger had the heart of a true romantic. Ever since Ron's shamelessly jealous tantrums over Viktor Krum had made Ginny aware of how highly he regarded her, she had taken the opportunity to observe the object of her brother's affections closely. The experience had been a particularly enlightening one and ever since then, Ginny had found herself approving of this odd, brainy, sometimes bossy, but always brilliant girl.  
  
Luna moved to stand beside them. "Is there a reason why we're still hiding?" she asked quietly.  
  
Both girls turned to look at her, embarrassed to realize that they were so riveted by what they'd seen that they had neglected to jump out with the rest of their friends.  
  
"Uhm.no." Hermione smiled awkwardly. "I'm going to go and greet Professor Lupin. Ginny?"  
  
She glanced over at the throng of students around him. "No, I think I'll do that in a bit. You can go on without me."  
  
"Okay, then. I'll find you later."  
  
"You know, Ginny, you really do look stunning," Luna said, once Hermione had gone. She turned to her date, who had been staring absent-mindedly at the food table. "Doesn't she, Neville?"  
  
"Hm?" He looked at her vaguely.  
  
"Just like a Siren," Luna continued.  
  
"What?" Neville asked.  
  
"Oh, now, really-" Ginny shook her head with an embarrassed laugh.  
  
"No, you really do," Luna persisted. "With that red hair of yours and the white gown.it's just what I'd expect a Siren to look like." She turned to Neville again. "Neville, if you were a sailor and you heard Ginny singing, wouldn't you crash your ship on the rocks because she's so beautiful?"  
  
His mouth opened and closed a few times before he settled on a slightly suspicious look as though he thought he'd been asked a trick question on purpose. "Ginny looks very nice," he said finally. "I'm going to get some food."  
  
"I'll come with you," Luna said, taking his hand. "Hi, Harry."  
  
She threw out the greeting with such causal flair that Ginny took a moment to realize what she'd said. Turning, she saw him standing off to the side, not five feet away, staring at her with an expression she'd never seen on his face before and, as such, couldn't interpret. She prayed silently that he hadn't heard the nonsensical conversation that had just taken place, as she wasn't particularly in the mood to be humiliated in front of him for the second time that evening.  
  
He looked to be about to say something when Ron suddenly barreled by, grabbed him by the arm, and started hauling him away from her. "Harry, mate, I've been looking for you. Hermione needs help with something."  
  
She knew the sound of Ron trying to avert disaster when she heard it and could clearly pick up the panicked undertones of his voice he was trying to pass off as urgency. She reckoned her brother was attempting to prevent another scene like the one that had taken place in the boys' dormitory.  
  
Watching Harry get unceremoniously carted off, she couldn't quite fault Ron for his actions. Though she didn't have any intention of arguing with him in public, she had also come to the conclusion that their interactions were becoming increasingly volatile. She was calm now, but if he said something to provoke her, she couldn't altogether guarantee that she'd stay that way.  
  
The crowd around Professor Lupin had thinned considerably once the music started playing as many students had rushed to the dance floor. Seeing an opportunity to greet him properly, Ginny made her way over just as he was dispatching the last of his well-wishers. Before she could get his attention, however, he started walking to where Tonks was standing a few feet away. She was regarding him with an awkward smile on her face, her fingertips resting lightly against her neck as she fiddled with a small round locket hanging from a silver chain.  
  
They stood and stared at each other for what Ginny felt was an eternity before Lupin suddenly broke the prolonged silence by taking hold of her wrist. "I like your hair," he said, as he pulled her against him and embraced her tightly.  
  
"Thank you," she responded softly, burrowing her face in his robes. Ginny was just starting to wonder if she should come back later when Tonks suddenly pulled out of his arms. She blinked up at him, her long lashes dancing in an exaggerated flutter. "You brought me flowers," she said cheekily, all evidence of awkwardness gone from her demeanor.  
  
"Did I, now?" Lupin seemed amused.  
  
"Yes you did and don't be coy with me, Remus Lupin. I saw them myself."  
  
"Interesting." There was a hint of humor in his voice as he drew out the word and it made Ginny bite back a smile.  
  
"Red roses, that's what they were." Tonks shook her head impatiently. "It's a bloody walking cliché, Remus. You ought to be ashamed of yourself."  
  
He smirked. "Should I, now?"  
  
"Where are they?" she asked abruptly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"My flowers. I want them. Where are they?"  
  
"I thought you said they were clichéd."  
  
"I know exactly what I said but that doesn't change the fact that they're mine and I want them."  
  
He chuckled.  
  
"Stop giving me that blasted look, old man, and bring me back my flowers." Tonks's angry façade was slipping and she sounded as though she was trying to hold back laughter of her own.  
  
"Well, as you already seem to know so much about these alleged flowers I bought you," Lupin said calmly, "then I reckon that you should be able to find them yourself."  
  
"Don't toy with me, Remus. I want those bloody flowers and I'm not above hurting you to get them."  
  
His voice lowered and took on a decidedly different tone. "Would you, now?"  
  
Her lips parted slightly in shock and she didn't respond.  
  
Suddenly, he cleared his throat and stepped back, his voice returning to normal. "Well, as much as I'd like to take you up on your offer, Tonks, I'm afraid Miss Weasley would like a word with one of us."  
  
Caught, Ginny froze in horror, her cheeks aflame. Tonks quickly turned to her, looking surprised but not embarrassed in the least.  
  
"Hi Gin!" she said cheerfully, as Lupin slipped an arm around her waist in a friendly manner. "Everything all right?" Her eyes widened slightly then, her delicate features taking on a look of trepidation. "Merlin, it's not the food is it? Dobby hasn't poisoned everyone already, has he? I just knew that fruit platter looked strange."  
  
"Er.no," Ginny responded, trying to control her blush. "I-I just wanted to say Merry Christmas to Professor Lupin."  
  
"Ginny helped with all the planning, you know." Tonks tilted her chin up towards him and he smiled down at her in response. "She and Hermione were my partners in crime."  
  
"Well, thank you, Ginny," Lupin responded, giving Tonks an affable squeeze. "You've both done such a wonderful job here."  
  
"Actually, sir, Tonks is being modest-"  
  
"Well, that's a first," he cut in and was rewarded with a gentle swat from the lady in question.  
  
Strangely entertained by their behavior, Ginny almost lost her train of thought. "No, really, she did most of the work."  
  
"Yes," the Auror said in a tragic voice, "I worked myself to the bone, I did. Going through magazines and looking at pictures, making Ginny handle all the food, having Hermione work on the room plan, bossing around house elves, oh the work I did.and what do I get? Nothing. Not one whit. Not a kind word, nor a single gesture of thanks."  
  
"Wouldn't place bets on that just yet," Lupin muttered.  
  
"Really? What are we betting on?" Tonks cocked her head and sent him an innocent smile. "The word or the gesture?"  
  
"Right then!" Ginny said brightly, cutting off Lupin's response. She wasn't quite sure what she was bearing witness to but she was beginning to feel more and more like an intruder in the conversation. "I think I'll go check on that fruit platter you mentioned."  
  
"Good thinking, Gin," Tonks said. "I'll catch up with you later."  
  
"Thanks again, Ginny," Lupin added.  
  
Vaguely relieved, she sped off in search of something to do. For the first half hour of the party, she found herself wandering the floor, greeting people, speaking with the elves and generally trying to keep herself occupied while the couples enjoyed the first few dances together. Hannah Abbott appeared to be keeping Harry properly distracted and, to a certain extent, Ginny was grateful. She wasn't quite sure what she would have said to him if he'd managed to speak with her before Ron intervened. Although she was indeed less angry than she had been, part of her knew the reason she was so quick to forgive his trespasses was because of how she felt about him. Given recent events that indicated the futility of such feelings, she thought it best to keep her distance while she sorted things out.  
  
With that in mind, she continued wandering about the room, carrying on mindless conversations with partygoers and making sure everyone was being properly served. In the end, Seamus Finnegan was the one to save her from an evening of relentless boredom.  
  
"Care to dance, Gin?" he said with a smile, pointing at his date Lavender, who was deep in conversation with Pavarti. "I doubt she'll even notice I've gone. I imagine they wish they'd come here with one another. Been ignoring me for the last twenty minutes, at least."  
  
Smiling, she accepted and had a very pleasant conversation with him before Colin cut in towards the end of the song. From there, she took turns dancing with Neville, Amir, and Dennis but begged a break when Dean came to ask her because she was exhausted and needed the rest.  
  
Wandering over to the food table to make sure that everything was in order, she was tapped on the shoulder by Professor McGonagall and quickly pulled in to a discussion about the Familiar's class. The conversation became even more engrossing when Professor Dumbledore joined them and they spent the next twenty minutes discussing her phoenix.  
  
By the time Ginny broke free from her professors and located Dean again, he was standing near the fire with Katie and a large group of Gryffindors. Noticing her approach from afar, he quickly stood to meet her before they went off to the dance floor together.  
  
Out of all the boys she'd danced with, Ginny found Dean most exhilarating, as he was just as enthusiastic as Neville when it came to effort but unlike poor Neville, he was also extremely skilled. She knew she was outclassed within the first two minutes of their dance and after that, it was all she could do to hold on and hope that she didn't fall. This was especially important in light of the fact that he took enormous pleasure out of spinning her around in wild circles to the point where they were both in hysterics.  
  
By the end of the song, she found herself clinging to the front of his robes with her eyes closed, waiting until the dizziness subsided. Opening them for a brief second, she thought she glimpsed Harry looking in her direction from the edge of the dance floor but a wave of vertigo caused her to slide them shut before she could be certain. By the time the world righted itself enough for her to verify what she'd seen, he was gone. Quickly searching the crowd, she found him again, and was caught yet again by the desire to just go up and talk to him. The impulse instantly vanished when she saw him approached by, of all people, Cho Chang.  
  
Unable to bear watching that particular exchange, Ginny bid Dean a swift farewell and resolved to move as far away from that part of the room as humanly possible.  
  
In her search for somewhere else to be, she spotted Ron. A mildly anxious feeling invaded the pit of her stomach when she saw that he was standing by himself in a corner looking extremely agitated. Hermione was notably missing.  
  
His failure to look up when she approached caused the dark feeling to deepen.  
  
"Ron," she said carefully, "where is-"  
  
"All I said was that it looked nice when it is the way it always is. Since when is that a bad thing?"  
  
She blinked at him. "Pardon?"  
  
"Her ruddy hair."  
  
Ginny felt her stomach start sinking. "Oh no. Oh Ron, you didn't."  
  
"It's Pavarti's fault, you know. She's the one who brought it up. She just kept going on and on about how amazing Hermione's hair looked and it just sort of got insulting, you know? Like her hair doesn't normally look nice or something. So then, all I said was that I sort of liked it better when it was done the other way and they just both gave me this LOOK." His face formed a bitter expression. "I mean, what's wrong with what I said? All I meant is that she doesn't need to do her hair up like that to look nice. She always looks nice." His ears turned pink and he sent his sister a slightly embarrassed glance before the accusatory look returned. "You girls. Always saying you want us to tell you the truth and constantly asking us for our opinion and then you get all huffy when give it. Bloody nutters, all of you."  
  
It was a sad moment when Ginny realized that, on some perverse level, Ron was making sense. Luckily, she would never admit this aloud. These particular circumstances meant her loyalty to Hermione as a fellow girl trumped her loyalty to her brother. So, instead, she crossed her arms and glared at him.  
  
"We're nutters? Hardly. The only reason we'd ever act nuts is because you boys drive us mad with your stupidity." And with that, she turned on her heel and went off in search of Hermione.  
  
She quickly located the other girl sitting rigidly against the opposite wall, hiding rather effectively in one of the oversized armchairs. Bracing herself, Ginny approached. "I just spoke with Ron-"  
  
"I am in no mood to exert the incredible amount of effort necessary to understand boys right now." Hermione stared darkly ahead.  
  
"Neither am I." Ginny simply shrugged and took a seat. "Perhaps we can start a club."  
  
"Hello, friends." Luna walked up to them, smiling radiantly in her deep blue robes. She was pulling Neville along behind her and he looked flustered, but happy.  
  
There was an uncomfortable silence.  
  
"Ah." Luna turned to her date. "They are cross. Perhaps you should leave for a bit."  
  
Neville looked confused.  
  
"Get me a cup of punch, please." She gave him an encouraging shove and this he seemed to understand.  
  
"Oh, right. Right."  
  
Once he had wandered out of earshot, Luna sat down beside Ginny and looked at her friends. "What's happened now?"  
  
"Ron insulted her hair."  
  
"Boys are so daft," Hermione burst out with such passion that Luna gave her a startled look. "No matter how direct you are with them, they never seem to understand what you're trying to say."  
  
"Well, I'm always direct with Neville and he seems to understand what I'm trying to say."  
  
"Yes, well, Neville is not nearly as thick as Ron," Ginny responded quickly, seeing the vexed look in Hermione's eyes.  
  
"What about Harry?" Luna asked.  
  
Ginny looked over at him and felt a flash of irritation to realize that he was still thoroughly entangled in his conversation with Cho. She then noted that Hannah Abbot was dancing with Ernie MacMillan. Typical. "Nobody is as thick as Harry," she said flatly.  
  
Hermione looked thoughtful. "That's quite right, actually."  
  
"Well, I suppose that's something in Ron's favor, isn't it?"  
  
Despite themselves, they smiled at Luna's comment. A sudden crash diverted their attention to where Neville was standing several feet away, holding one cup of punch in his right hand and wearing what appeared to be the remains of another.  
  
"Oh dear." Luna rushed to go help him.  
  
Ginny's eyes followed the source of the accident, which appeared to be a rapidly departing Michael Corner. He was shoving roughly through the crowd of students on the dance floor. Moments later, he disappeared from the room altogether. Her attention flickered over to where Harry and Cho stood, huddled in their quiet conversation. They didn't seem to have noticed his exit. Ginny considered following her ex-boyfriend to see what was going on, but quickly decided against it. There was a reason she didn't get involved with other people's romances and this one was a bit too volatile and close to home for her tastes.  
  
As if in response to her thoughts, Cho suddenly reached forward and hugged Harry, burying her face in his chest. Ginny tried to ignore the quiet twist in her heart but it was too late and she felt the remainder of her energy drain right out of her. Staying away from Harry when he was so close was proving to be just too emotionally burdensome for her to bear.  
  
Hermione must have noticed the expression on her face, because she reached over and touched her arm. "Gin? Are you all right?'  
  
The thought of lying and staying for the sake of her friends briefly flitted across her mind, but Ginny knew she'd be terrible company for the rest of the evening. "This was such a mistake. I knew I shouldn't have come at all." Turning to the other girls, she took a deep breath. "I think I'm going back to the dormitory."  
  
"Oh, but it's not yet half past nine." Hermione looked concerned. "You can't leave so soon."  
  
Ginny shook her head. "I've still got some packing left to do before tomorrow morning. If I leave now, I can get that done and get a decent night's sleep." Waving off the other girl's protests, she quietly hurried across the dance floor, stopping briefly to bid Tonks and Lupin farewell, before slipping out into the dark hallway. It was a relief when the door shut behind her, muffling the happy murmur of the other revelers.  
  
Her mind awash in confused thoughts, Ginny was almost at the stairs that led to Gryffindor Tower when she glanced at the large doors leading to the grounds outside and suddenly had the urge for a quick turn about the lake. She reckoned that some fresh air would do her good. It also might stave off the light depression she felt weighing down upon her.  
  
Glancing around furtively for Filch or Mrs. Norris, she swiftly made her escape.  
  
The night air felt like a balm on her flushed cheeks and she breathed in deeply, filling her lungs with the intoxicating cold. The thinness of her dress robes meant she was quickly numb but it was a pleasant sort of feeling. So much less complicated than the way she normally felt.  
  
It was strange, given how many truly horrible things had happened to her in the dark, that she still felt so at ease in it. She reckoned that Hagrid's cheery, well-lit cabin leant a certain degree of comfort, but that wasn't the only reason.  
  
Coming down a gentle slope, she noted that the lake looked particularly lovely in its half-frozen beauty. Moonlight skimmed the thin ice that partially covered the surface, bathing its roughed edges in a pale silver glow. She soaked in the vision, greedily committing it to memory. Perhaps that's why she enjoyed the night so much. Moments like these, she didn't have to share with anyone. It was as though, for the briefest snap of time, the lake, the grounds, the forest and all the splendor of the evening were hers and hers alone. As the youngest in a family of nine, it was no wonder she derived so much joy from these solitary strolls.  
  
The sky glittered overwhelmingly with stars and it seemed the more Ginny gazed up at them, the more appeared before her. It was a pleasantly dizzying experience, walking along with her head tilted towards the heavens. Her slippers made a wonderful crunch against the frostbitten ground as each step took her farther from the castle.  
  
And then, despite all efforts to the contrary, she felt it. That terrible straining sensation, as though something in her chest was trying to break free. Struggling for a moment, she finally gave up and let out a ragged sob as that muted sort of longing that had been a constant companion of hers for so long finally burst forth. For an instant, she hated herself. Hated the fact that, even surrounded by such astounding beauty, she couldn't distract herself from thinking of him.  
  
Clenching her fists where they lay huddled under her robe, she managed to force down the tears that threatened dangerously to surface. Unfortunately, that terrible, keening hunger for him was as strong as ever. It was just downright senseless. She had tried, oh, how she had tried not to think of him this way. She had tried so hard to be his friend. Even when he was being downright cruel to her, she had found her heart only too ready to forgive him.  
  
She wondered, idly, if she were broken somehow. If, somewhere between Tom Riddle and that night in the Ministry, she had been damaged irreparably in a way that no one could ever see or understand. That was the only plausible explanation she could come up with for her ridiculous emotional turmoil. Despite their terrible fight, she knew she couldn't even really get mad at Harry. Friends complimented each other all the time. From that perspective, he had never once done anything to make her believe she meant more to him than their friendship warranted.  
  
And yet the frustration refused to abate because here she was, standing outside in the freezing cold, pining away for him like she did when she was ten years old. And where was he? Dancing obliviously in the warmth of the DA room with Cho Chang, most likely.  
  
One of the secrets Ginny guarded most closely to her heart was the period of time, shortly after she had seen him board the Hogwarts Express his first year, that she prayed for him. To this day, she couldn't explain what had compelled her to do it, but she could still vividly recall having sat on her bed each night to fervently ask whatever powers that existed to keep him safe from harm. Each time she thought about it in subsequent years, she'd told herself that it was because she felt sorry for him and what Voldemort had done. Now, looking back, she wondered if that had been the beginning. If that had been some terrible foreshadowing for where she stood today.  
  
Perhaps the most terrifying revelation was the knowledge that what she felt for him was starting to eat away at who she was. Simply put, she couldn't allow that. She wouldn't allow her feelings for him to subjugate her own identity. Ever since her time under the influence of Tom Riddle, Ginny had regarded her identity as precious. If the only solution to dealing with this inexplicable need she felt for him was to get away, to flee Hogwarts, or England, for that matter, then she'd seriously consider it.  
  
The soft flap of wings above her head distracted her briefly and she glanced up, rather surprised to see a large owl gliding in circles twenty feet or so above her head. Confused, she squinted into the inky darkness and was rewarded for her efforts by being struck in the face by a small piece of parchment. Stooping, she picked it up from where it had fallen on the ground and unfolded it.  
  
It was blank.  
  
The whole thing was so odd, she started to feel a prickling fear start up her spine. Perhaps the dark wasn't the best place to be right then. Suddenly, Hagrid's hut looked much farther away than it had before and Ginny quickly started to walk back towards the castle. She was startled to a standstill, however, when the owl that had dropped the parchment alighted on a tree branch overhead and she got a good look at it.  
  
Hedwig.  
  
Her ears pricked up then and she heard the barely audible crunch of hurried footsteps on the icy ground. Turning towards the noise, she saw him, striding towards her from the distance. When she heard him call her name, she knew it was too late. He had already spotted her and she no longer had the option to slip away or blend in to the shadows and wait for him to pass. She felt the dark, wispy tendrils of anger curl around her stomach as she watched him approach. At one of the only times in her life when he was absolutely the last person she wanted to see, he had somehow managed to find her.  
  
"Ginny--" he sounded out of breath "--I've been looking everywhere for you. Hermione said you'd gone back to the dormitory-"  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
There was a moment of silence since they'd asked the question simultaneously and neither seemed willing to respond first.  
  
In that brief interlude, he composed himself enough to register the look on her face and it seemed to quickly spur him forward. "You're still angry with me, aren't you?"  
  
The flash of surprise she felt at the rare appearance of his sensible side simply transformed into bitterness and fueled her increasing irritation. Knowing almost immediately that this conversation could not lead to anything useful, she concluded it would be best to keep it as brief as possible. "No, actually, I'm not. I'm only tired. I was just going in to bed, as a matter of fact. Good evening." She made to walk past him, only to be stopped again when he reached out and snagged hold of her arm.  
  
"No, Ginny, please wait. I-I need to apologize for what I said."  
  
Yes, because that was exactly what she needed: another empty apology from the famous Harry Potter that was only aimed at assuaging his own guilt.  
  
"Look, I'm not angry with you. I understand you're sorry. You needn't apologize." She tried to shrug off his hand, but his grip was ironclad.  
  
"Yes, I do." He sounded so inanely calm and patient she wanted to hit him. He reached up and took hold of her forearms, effectively trapping her. "You are still angry with me. I can hear it in your voice."  
  
"Honestly, Potter, for your information the sun, the earth and the heavens do NOT revolve around you. And, while we're on the subject, neither do I." He looked shocked by her outburst and, for some reason, she derived a degree of pleasure from that. "Now let me go."  
  
"You don't understand, you-you're not letting me explain-"  
  
"Explain? Explain what? That you're only nice to me when it suits you? What makes you think you have to explain that?"  
  
"What?" In contrast to her increasingly pronounced reaction to his presence, he just seemed to be retreating. "What do you mean?" His voice was just a few notches above a whisper.  
  
"You know, you've really got some nerve, Potter." She was almost shouting at him now, and there was something wonderful about the horrified, hurt expression he was giving her. "Let me ask you something: where's Cho?"  
  
He shook his head, clearly unnerved. "Cho? What does Cho have to do with this?"  
  
Good. She was glad she had some impact on him. Lord knows she was sick and tired of being the only one impacted by their relationship. "Wonderful question. I have no idea what Cho has to do with anything. It's never made any sense, as far as I'm concerned. First you fancied her. Now Michael does. During the Yule Ball you ignored Pavarti Patil you were so busy mooning over her, this time you did the same to Hannah Abbot." She suppressed the urge to laugh in his face. "Now, if Cho has nothing to do with your behavior, then perhaps you'll enlighten me as to why Hannah Abbot is dancing with Ernie MacMillan?"  
  
He had started trembling at some point during her speech and now just stared at her, as though frozen in place.  
  
Undeterred, the floodgates all but rubble, she proceeded to mercilessly beat down on the one subject that had tormented her for so many years. "What's wrong? Is it that she isn't as good a dancer as you'd hoped?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Is it that she isn't as smart and interesting as you thought she was?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Is it that she isn't as mentally stable as she ought to be?" This particular accusation brought her the most sadistic pleasure.  
  
"No."  
  
"Then what, Harry? What completely absurd flaw have you found in poor Hannah that's sent you fleeing out here? What is it?"  
  
"It's that she isn't you."  
  
Ginny's mouth snapped shut.  
  
Of all the things he could have chosen to say, that was perhaps the most wrong. It was also the only thing that completely halted her erratic downward spiral into insanity. And that's when she noticed it. That look in his eyes that made her all but stop breathing.  
  
What she had misconstrued as resignation and withdrawal was, in fact, a slow emotional coiling. A feeling of horror crept into her when she awoke to the fact that the trembling she'd felt wasn't from sadness or cold but from fury. She could see it now and couldn't understand how she'd missed it. The hot, burning fury in his eyes had turned the green to black and it was mixed with something else. Something she couldn't even begin to bring herself to identify.  
  
"You asked why I've been acting like a prat when you've been trying to be my friend." The quiet strain in his voice terrified her so badly she couldn't even bring herself to nod.  
  
"Well," he continued in a harsh, hoarse voice, "it's because you're not my friend. We can't be friends."  
  
This time, the anguish forced a response. "Why?!"  
  
And that's when he kissed her. Hard.  
  
Just when she thought she'd heard her heart breaking, he'd tightened his hold on her arms and jerked her forward with such force that she stumbled against him. The next thing she knew, his mouth was on her own and she was being struck with a dark, bruising kiss.  
  
After the first electric shock from contact, all she could do was stand there, rooted to the spot, her hands braced against his chest. She could feel his heart beating wildly under her fingertips as he plunged forward, growing increasingly aggressive.  
  
Her numbed senses slowly started to return and she made a weak attempt to slow him down, but to no avail. All she could do was try to keep up with him while he poured all his anger and frustration into her. It was bloody awkward, as she couldn't figure how to turn her head he was moving so fast, and her body was locked into place. In her limited experience with boys, she'd never been kissed like this before. Like she was being attacked. Somewhere in the back of her head, she realized that it was her fault.  
  
She was the reason Harry Potter had lost control.  
  
His lips molded against hers so brutally then that pleasure spiked into pain. Letting out a low moan she tried to pull away. She struggled against him and for the briefest moment managed to break free with a loud smack, gasping for air.  
  
"Ow, Harry, it hurts-" The rest of the sentence died when she saw the hungry fascination in his eyes. He was still staring at her mouth. Something about that made her weak.  
  
The moment hung with delicious anticipation and, with a soft growl, he reached for her again.  
  
She met him part way this time.  
  
His fingers tangled warmly in her hair, with a tenderness that she didn't think he was capable of, given his behavior moments before. She gasped against him in response and he slid his tongue softly against her parted lips as he gently tilted her head, deepening the kiss. His mouth began slanting possessively over hers again and again as he moaned softly, sending pleasant vibrations against her lips that echoed through her body.  
  
An unbearable heat started to permeate her then, coupled with a painful ache in the pit of her stomach. The initial shock had fully worn off and she was awakening to a myriad of distracting details. The butter-soft feel of his dress robes under her hands, the spicy scent of some cologne he'd put on for the occasion, the incredible weight of his body pressed against her own, and finally, the evidence of his need for her.  
  
A frantic thought tore through her mind then and she suddenly found herself acting on instinct. He was clearly unprepared for the desperate shove she gave him since he stumbled back a few steps, chest heaving, face frozen in shock as he stared at her.  
  
"What.what.what are you.?" Tears pricked her eyes, as words failed her. This didn't make sense. None of this made sense. Her body was flooded with so many conflicting emotions that she felt ill. "Harry.I can't. It's just too much right now and I just-I can't."  
  
"Ginny, wait, I-I shouldn't have-" He stepped forward, confusion and sadness battling on his handsome features but she quickly moved away from him.  
  
"I'm sorry, Harry. I'm so sorry." And with that, she turned on her heel and sprinted towards the castle as fast as she could. She heard him calling her name, but her jumbled nerves only urged her to run faster. She was almost to the door when she realized with horror that, instead of letting her go as she had thought he would, he had taken off after her. She was lighter, but he was stronger and years of Quidditch meant that he was rapidly catching up.  
  
Flinging open the front door, she almost barreled directly into Ron and Hermione who were standing at the foot of the stairs. She managed to dart out of the way at the last second, ignoring the surprised shout from Ron as she raced past them, heart in her throat.  
  
Half way up the stairs she heard a second bang from the door, indicating that Harry had just made it inside as well. He called out to her again, but she leapt up the stairs faster. Turning to the next flight, she heard the distinct sounds of a scuffle and angry shouting erupt from below.  
  
"Get off of me!"  
  
"Just what the hell is going on?"  
  
Recognizing her brother's voice, she felt a shock of gratitude that almost left her weak with relief.  
  
"RON! Let go!"  
  
"Bugger that! Did you just make my sister CRY?"  
  
Surprised, she suddenly became aware of the wetness on her cheeks, but it was too much to contemplate at the moment and she simply concentrated on getting back to her dormitory. Taking up three more flights of stairs and six more corridors, she finally made it to Gryffindor Tower. Rounding a corner, she shouted "BogeyBots" down the hall and the Fat Lady swung open just in time for her to scramble through the hole.  
  
"Slow down, dear. Goodness. Slow down!"  
  
But Ginny couldn't slow down. Moving so quickly that the Gryffindor tapestries were just a red and gold blur, she bolted through the Common Room. It was blissfully deserted as most of the students were still at the party. She felt her lungs burn as she ran up the stairs to the fifth year dormitories but only allowed herself to catch her breath after she had slammed the door shut and firmly warded herself inside.  
  
Trembling, she took a seat on her bed and tried to still the frantic pounding in her chest. Maeven fluttered wildly in her cage, clearly indicating she wanted to get out, but Ginny scarcely heard her. Every time she attempted to put together a coherent thought over what had just happened she was brought back to the sensation of kissing Harry and it was just too surreal. Embarrassment was starting to rear its ugly head when a sharp knock on the door caused her heart to thud painfully.  
  
"Ginny, open the door."  
  
Despite being relieved to hear Hermione's voice, she hesitated.  
  
"Ginny Weasley, open and unward this door this instant. You know you're not allowed to put wards up in the dormitory."  
  
Scrambling off of her bed, she quickly complied with the order and Hermione swept in, an authoritative presence swirling in pale peach. She looked exceptionally calm and that fact alone made Ginny hope whatever had transpired between Ron and Harry had ended reasonably. Closing the door firmly behind her, Hermione led them to sit on Ginny's bed.  
  
"Are you all right?"  
  
"Yes." She looked at the floor. "Well, no. Not really."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Well.I.Harry didn't say anything?"  
  
At this, Hermione let out a sigh. "Of course not. He's Harry, remember? He stopped talking altogether three minutes into Ron's screaming at him. Your brother is absolutely livid, by the way, but he couldn't come up to see you himself-the alarms would go off. I left them both in the Common Room. They're actively sulking at one another."  
  
At this, Ginny forced a nervous, shaky laugh and Hermione squeezed her arm gently.  
  
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but I'm here to help, if you need me."  
  
She bit her lip in frustration. On the one hand, it was comforting to have someone to confide in. On the other, this felt.private. It was odd to be thinking in these terms. As someone used to asking advice and leaning on others when need be, she'd never been in a position to have something happen to her that she didn't want to share with anyone.  
  
"I won't tell anyone, Ginny." Her friend laid an encouraging hand on her shoulder. "Not Ron. Not Harry."  
  
"I know you won't, Hermione," she said softly. "But it's the type of thing that's so personal that.I just don't know."  
  
There was almost a full minute of silence before either of one them spoke again.  
  
"Well, whatever it was, at least yours wasn't the only fiasco this evening."  
  
"What?" Ginny said.  
  
"Cho Chang broke up with Michael Corner about an hour ago."  
  
"What?" Ginny repeated, a bit more forcefully this time. "Why?"  
  
Hermione gave her a pained look.  
  
"Is it because of Harry?" she asked in a shocked voice.  
  
"Uhm.no." Hermione bit her lip. "Actually, it's because of.well, because of you."  
  
"What?!" Ginny's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"  
  
Hermione appeared as though she really didn't want to elaborate but after receiving a rather desperate look from the other girl, she did. "Cho broke up with Michael because, according to her, he still fancies you." Ginny's mouth fell open but Hermione continued as though she hadn't noticed. "From what I understand, he's been acting strangely for quite some time and tonight was the breaking point because he just started ignoring her outright. So, she confronted him, they argued, and she ended it. She's been confiding in Harry for a while now because she said she understands how he must have felt competing with the specter of Cedric Diggory. Evidently Cho still really likes Michael, though, and wants advice." She paused then. "Which, in my mind, proves she's still utterly daft as who asks for advice on this sort of thing from Harry?"  
  
When Ginny failed to respond, Hermione sighed. "The only reason I know any of this is because she spent a good twenty minutes crying into Harry's robes about the whole mess and Ron overheard. I wasn't planning on telling you, but I saw the way you were looking at them before you left and I didn't want you to have the wrong impression. If that's what your fight was about, I can assure you that Harry really doesn't fancy Cho Chang any more."  
  
Ginny shook her head almost violently then. "No, that wasn't it at all.." So many things were starting to snap into place with blinding alacrity that she hardly knew what to say, especially because she felt herself hurtling towards a conclusion that was oddly terrifying. Feeling a surge of gratitude towards Hermione, she suddenly looked up at her friend. "We were fighting because he.he kissed me." The words tumbled forth on their own and she felt as though a burden had been lifted the moment they were out.  
  
Hermione's eyes widened slightly, but she didn't look particularly surprised. "I see." She paused as though selecting her words carefully. "Were you running from him because it was.an unpleasant experience for you?"  
  
A thoughtful look crossed Ginny's face. "No," she said finally. "Not entirely. I think it was just much too unexpected." She blushed. "Right before he did it, he was so angry I half expected him to hit me."  
  
For the first time since she'd entered the room, Hermione fully relaxed. "Ah, so that's it." She gave Ginny a lopsided grin. "Trust Harry to go about things in the most idiotic way humanly possible, eh?"  
  
At this, Ginny gave her a genuine smile and nodded slightly. From there, talking about what had happened seemed easy. Hermione was an excellent listener, making appropriate sounds in all the right places and offering commentary only when Ginny needed it. By the time she'd recounted the whole tale she felt, if not better, at least more ordered and confident in what had happened.  
  
Unfortunately, their conversation was forced to a premature end when Charlotte Burns walked in, sleepily oblivious, carrying her white kitten heel shoes in her hand. "Evening all." She yawned as she tossed the shoes onto her bed and wandered into the loo.  
  
Darting Ginny a look, Hermione suppressed a yawn as well and stood up. "I think they're all coming back now. I'd best get to the Common Room and make sure that everyone makes it to bed smoothly. Do you think you'll be all right? Would you like to come over to my room in a bit to talk this through more?"  
  
"No, I think I'll be fine for the rest of this evening although I do want to speak with you again tomorrow. Thank you for everything, though. Really."  
  
Hermione merely shook her head. "You can always come to me, you know. I admit I'm hardly one to be properly knowledgeable about this sort of thing, but I'm happy to listen. It's rather aggravating being stuck with the boys all the time." She paused then, her hand on the doorknob. "Ginny, you don't want to talk to him, do you? Tonight, I mean."  
  
"No.I.no." She leaned back and tried to quell the pounding in her head. "I think I'll talk to him tomorrow."  
  
"Very good. Then I'll be sure not to say anything when I go down there. Good night." She started to close the door.  
  
Ginny nodded absentmindedly until a thought suddenly occurred to her and she sat up. "Oh, but Hermione?"  
  
"Yes?" she responded, poking her head back into the room.  
  
"Actually, I do need you to tell him something for me. Please make sure." she sighed. "Please make sure he knows I'm not angry with him."  
  
Hermione's eyes softened with sympathy. "Of course," she said, smiling one last time before disappearing once again, shutting the door behind her with a gentle click.  
  
~*~  
  
End Part Nine  
  
A/N: The dance might be over, but the evening is not. Stay tuned for part ten. 


	10. Emboldened

Chapter 10: Emboldened  
  
In the end, she reckoned that it was the tapping that made her do it.  
  
It was nearly midnight when it started up at the window closest to her head and at first Ginny was too scared to get out of bed to see what was going on. However, five irritating minutes later, when it became clear that her dormitory mates were not disturbed by the sound, she finally gave up and decided to investigate. Pulling aside her bed curtain, she almost instantly saw the owl-like shadow being cast on the floor of her room. As it was too big to be Pig, she knew the only other logical option was Hedwig. Peering through the glass pane of the window, her suspicions were confirmed as the snowy white owl stared back at her expectantly.  
  
She sighed then, wondering why Harry couldn't just let things alone and give her time to think. Shaking her head, she gave Hedwig a stern look. "Shoo," she said softly, fluttering her hands at him. "Not now, Hedwig. Go back to Harry."  
  
The owl hooted softly, his large unblinking eyes following the motion of her hands, but he made no move to leave.  
  
Gritting her teeth, Ginny bitterly fought the urge to open the window. Her fingers went to the latch more than once before she decided for certain that she didn't want to know what he had to say right then. It couldn't be anything more than an apology and Ginny wasn't sure she wanted to hear him apologize for what had happened. She leaned her head against the cold glass and tried to collect her thoughts. Perhaps sensing her momentary indecision, Hedwig hooted again.  
  
Resolute, Ginny lifted her head off of the pane and shot the owl a look. "No, Hedwig. No. Not now. I don't want a message from Harry. Now go." Mind made up, she firmly turned her back on the owl and climbed into bed, yanking her curtain shut.  
  
Tap, tap, tap.  
  
She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Maeven, who was perched on her pillow, silently watching her.  
  
Tap, tap, tap.  
  
It had to stop, it just had to. How long could Hedwig sit out there in the freezing cold tapping? At some point he just had to give up and go back and maybe then she could get some sleep.  
  
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.  
  
Twenty minutes later, it had become painfully clear that Hedwig had absolutely no intention of leaving and she was, in fact, just as obstinate as his master. A few times, she had considered releasing Maeven out another window and letting her Familiar handle it bird to bird, as it were. However, Ginny could sense that Maeven was still a bit put out for having been forsaken for Hermione earlier that evening and was in no particular mood to be helpful. The phoenix had just entered the juvenile stage of her life cycle and had taken to acting like it. In fact, she seemed particularly amused by the whole situation.  
  
Her hands clenched tightly in her sheets, Ginny managed to hold out a full ten minutes longer before her anger reached a boiling point. Consumed by fury, she finally tossed off her bedcover, threw back the curtain, grabbed her dressing gown with one hand and her wand with her other and strode out of her dormitory room. It was exceedingly hard to sneak and storm at the same time, so Ginny tried to keep her raging emotions in check for fear of being caught. The hall outside was pitch black so she muttered Lumos and adjusted her wand to emit a very faint light, which she did not extinguish until she had reached her destination.  
  
Throwing her weight against the door of the sixth year boys' dormitory, a voice carrying some semblance of good sense caused her to pause. What on earth was she doing? What if Ron was still awake? How was she going to explain herself then? But Ginny quickly strangled that irritating voice with the logic that, after tonight's little display, if her brother were awake and aware of what was going on, he'd probably help her pummel Harry.  
  
Quietly closing the door behind her, she was nevertheless heartened to hear the telltale sound of Ron's snoring and the fact that three of the four beds were fully enclosed by their curtains. The only one that sat slightly exposed was the one she recognized as Harry's as it was closest to the partially open window and she could see his broom leaning against a table beside it. She shivered at the unexpected chill in the room and pulled her dressing gown firmly around her frame as she strode forward, gripping her wand tightly, guided only by moonlight.  
  
Thrusting the bed curtains fully open, she flung her wand out and whispered "Lumos" again as harshly and as loudly as she dared. Light flared from the tip. "Harry Potter-" she began angrily but she stopped when he jumped several inches in the air and banged his head against the headboard as he lunged backward, pulling his wand out from under his pillow. He wasn't wearing his glasses and the look of pure, unadulterated fear in his green eyes caused a wave of thick, horrible shame to flood her body. They froze then, staring at each other in silence and he blinked several times, squinting at her.  
  
"Ginny?" he said weakly.  
  
She opened her mouth to respond, but felt so acutely awful for scaring him that nothing came out. The expression on his face had been one that she had never seen before but had imagined countless times in her head. It was exactly the way she had pictured him sitting up in that terrible cupboard that his horrible Muggle relatives had made him sleep in for the better part of his life. She had passionately cursed them time and time again for the way they treated him and was now utterly mortified to realize that she had inadvertently been the cause of that expression.  
  
He was fumbling with his glasses now, which also appeared to have been under his pillow. Pulling them on, his eyes widened. "Ginny? Ginny, what are you doing here?"  
  
She was struck then, both by how incredibly stupid she felt for being there in the first place, and by the fact that she was just standing beside him, gaping like a fish. Abruptly closing her mouth, she mustered the last of her Gryffindor courage and climbed up onto his bed, pulling the curtains shut behind her.  
  
It didn't help her nerves when he responded to her sudden movement by inching further away until his back was pressed fully against the headboard. He shifted nervously for a few moments, his gaze riveted on her wand, before she realized what the problem was.  
  
"I'm not going to hurt you," she said slowly, as though speaking to a child. It was some small victory when he relaxed and eased off of the headboard a bit.  
  
"Really?" he responded carefully.  
  
It was all she could do not to just throw her arms up in frustration and leave. "Yes, really." The impatience had returned and the next words came out in harsh, rapid spurts. "Although I very well should. Harry Potter, what on earth is wrong with you? Why did you send your stupid owl to my room?"  
  
He was staring at her blankly. "I wanted to send you a message."  
  
She gritted her teeth and willed herself not to hex him outright since it really would be bad form after she had promised she wasn't going to hurt him. Blast hasty promises. "Yes, as that is what owls are generally used for, I gathered that. I meant why did you send her tonight? She's been sitting at my window for the past half hour with her incessant tapping and she won't bloody go away!" Ginny had to pause then, as she had come very close to shouting and really didn't want to wake anyone up. "Didn't Hermione tell you I wasn't angry?" The words were quieter now, but no less sharp.  
  
"Of course she did," Harry responded in a heated whisper. "But it sounded like one of those things she just says for the purpose of making me feel better." He paused then and took a deep breath, as though checking some of his own anger. "I'm sorry, Gin. Really, I am. If I'd known for sure that you'd really said that, then I wouldn't have sent Hedwig."  
  
The apology took some of the sting out of her anger and she paused to consider her options. She had really only come to tell him off, but he'd managed to derail that plan by looking so frightened and then acting so reasonably. Despite the fact that her hand had been forced, she was starting to warm to the idea of working things out with him now instead of waiting for the morning. Unfortunately, she had no idea where to begin.  
  
As her knees were starting to ache, she took a few moments to collect her thoughts and settle back, crossing her legs in front of her. This took a bit of tactical effort, given the fact that she was facing him and wearing a nightdress while she was doing it.  
  
"Bloody stupid to apologize via owl, anyway," she finally muttered.  
  
He started. "What? How did you know it was an apology? Didn't you just say you never opened your window?"  
  
"Are you saying it wasn't an apology?"  
  
".No." He looked rather confused.  
  
"Well, then?" She raised her eyebrows expectantly.  
  
"I'm just saying you shouldn't assume," he said finally. "For all you knew, it might have been something else entirely."  
  
"Such as.?"  
  
"Well," he appeared to be giving the situation some serious thought. "I don't know. Perhaps a sonnet.or.or something."  
  
"What?!" She choked in hushed horror. Something about the idea alone that Harry might have composed a love poem for her sent her into throes of all- encompassing dread. She reckoned it had something to do with that valentine she'd sent him her first year.  
  
As luck would have it, she noticed his mouth twitching just then, and her lightning-quick reflexes allowed her to fling a pillow at his head just as he started snickering. Apparently too bemused to block the throw, he was smacked soundly in the face and had to pause to readjust his glasses, as they had been knocked askew.  
  
"Great Merlin, Harry, don't DO that." She lowered her head, rubbing her temples and laughing along with him in short, relieved gasps.  
  
"You should have seen the expression on your face." He chuckled, hugging the pillow to his chest, his hair now even more mussed than normal. "A sonnet! Honestly."  
  
A few seconds later, their laughter petered out into silence and the tension that had been temporarily released by the moment started to build again.  
  
Ginny looked down, still unsure of how to proceed, but her discomfort was short-lived as their conversation was interrupted by the feathery sound of Hedwig's return. With an apologetic shrug, Harry climbed out of bed to take the undelivered message from his owl. Sitting there waiting for him to come back, she stared at the spot where the hem of her nightdress lay on his bed sheets and started to regret her spontaneous decision to visit him. She really should have prepared something reasonable to say ahead of time. Now all she could think of were entirely absurd, outlandish things like "Sorry for being such a terrible, blind fool for so long. Oh, and by the way, thanks for the snog. It was lovely" or "I hope you still fancy me after I ran away from you like a complete idiot. Speaking of which, did my brother knock you senseless for making me cry?"  
  
Perhaps she'd just go for a direct approach and ask him if he wanted to see her knickers.  
  
Then she realized that that wouldn't work because she wasn't wearing any.  
  
The gales of laughter that erupted from this particular thought caused her to press her hand over her mouth, and she was mildly embarrassed when Harry chose that moment to crawl back in. Casting her an odd look, he reclaimed his position near the headboard.  
  
"Well, I'm glad at least one of us finds this funny," he said dully.  
  
She struggled to calm herself down and immediately realized that she was suffering from some form of mild hysteria. That had to be it. There was no other explanation for the almost comically stupid things that were entering her mind. In her attempt to avoid the obvious issue, she was needlessly making light of other things and bungling the situation even more. Judging from the look on Harry's face, he thought she was poking fun at his expense.  
  
This sobered her up almost instantly. "No, no, it's not you, Harry, really, it isn't. It's me." He cringed and she nearly moaned in frustration at her stupid choice of words. "That's-oh, Harry, that's not what I meant to say."  
  
"No," he sounded so resigned that she felt as though her heart were breaking. How couldn't she have noticed his behavior before? "No, it's all right. I-I understand," he said.  
  
She was rather surprised when he abruptly pushed away from his seated position against the headboard and stretched out on the bed. Throwing an arm over his face he shook his head from underneath it.  
  
"Perhaps you should go, Ginny."  
  
The emotional defenses were back up in place so quickly that she didn't quite know what to do. The only thing she knew for certain was that she wasn't leaving. As she couldn't see his face from where she was, she gingerly crawled up towards the headboard until she was hovering above him.  
  
"Harry?" she whispered  
  
He didn't respond.  
  
Adjusting her body so she was lying down beside him, she propped herself up on her elbow and tried again. "Harry, please-"  
  
"Just go," he said darkly from under his arm.  
  
The flash of anger caught her unprepared. "Oh, Harry, stop acting like an idiot and look at me. If you'd just let me explain-"  
  
"You know what?" He threw his arm off of his face then with such passion that she nearly fell back at the sudden movement. "It was just like this with my dad. I hate that, you know?"  
  
The fact that he had just voluntarily mentioned his father momentarily struck Ginny dumb. She made a vague sort of questioning noise but he seemed too far-gone in his own angst to notice.  
  
"He was.he was just mad for my mum and she simply couldn't stand him. She called him arrogant too, you know." There was a miserable silence then as Ginny was too horrified to respond and Harry was busy turning an impressive shade of crimson while still not looking at her.  
  
When she finally found her voice, it was filled with the disbelief that had shocked her to her very core. "You think that I can't stand you?"  
  
His eyes flew to her own, sparking defiantly in silent response, and she gasped.  
  
"You complete and utter fool!" He opened his mouth as though to argue, but she smacked down hard on his chest, startling him back into silence. "'His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad,'" she all but spat out the long- reviled verse. "Does that sound familiar?"  
  
He stared at her.  
  
"Well?!" She hit his chest again, although not quite so hard this time. "Does it?"  
  
"Yes, but that was." He had an awed look on his face. "That was."  
  
"That was what, Harry?" she growled and his eyebrows shot up in surprise, causing her to flush. She looked away from him then, falling onto her back and repeating the words more softly. "That was what?"  
  
In truth, she knew exactly what he was aiming at, which was something along the lines of "That was years ago." And he was right, it was. However, as much as it humiliated her to admit it, her feelings had never really changed. Intellectually, Ginny knew he needed to hear her say that. Emotionally, she just couldn't right then. For some odd reason, it was asking too much to say the words out loud.  
  
She prayed that he would understand her anyway.  
  
After a prolonged period of silence in which she lay rigidly next to him, staring at the curtains, waiting for a response, an unpleasant sensation of vulnerability set in and she rolled away from him to the edge of the bed.  
  
She had just convinced herself that she had managed to mess the whole thing up beyond repair and should really have left when he'd told her to, when she felt the bed dip behind her and the weight of his arm come up around her waist. Slowly but steadily he gradually dragged her back until she connected with the solid warmth of his body. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his breath hot on her neck, his hand pressing firmly against her stomach. "I'm really and truly sorry. I should never have doubted.You're right, Gin, I'm such a prat."  
  
She suddenly found herself blinking rapidly through an onslaught of relieved tears.  
  
Finally.  
  
It was out.  
  
"No, you're not, Harry," her voice was trembling and it embarrassed her, but she managed to keep her hand steady as she raised it to cover his. "I'm sorry too."  
  
They lay there then in companionable silence. Countless questions whirled through her head but she was too afraid to voice them for fear she'd spoil the moment. Unfortunately, Harry didn't have that problem  
  
"His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad." he sang softly into her ear, sending shivers up her spine. He chuckled against her neck.  
  
"Shut it, Potter!" She flushed and closed her eyes. "Merlin, that was terrible. Don't remind me."  
  
"Oh, come on, now. It really wasn't that terrible."  
  
"Yes, yes it was. You were there, how can you say it wasn't terrible?"  
  
He paused. "All right, I suppose it was a little terrible at the time."  
  
"A lot terrible," she corrected. "And it still is."  
  
"No," he said firmly, "now it's just funny." He paused. "And sweet."  
  
She could hear the smile in his voice and made a face in response. "Is it, really? Sweet, you say? Well, while we're on the subject of sweet, how did you like my hair tonight? Long enough for you?"  
  
"Oh, now you're just being mean," he said, laughing as he hugged her against him.  
  
Her irritation melted then and she started smiling as well, turning her head slightly as he nuzzled her neck. There was a giddy and unexpected warmth in this position that was strange because it felt both completely new and perfectly natural. Part of her wanted to turn around fully and face him, but it just seemed easier for both of them to communicate this way.  
  
He inhaled deeply all of a sudden and she felt his chest press against her back as his lungs filled with air. Exhaling against her neck, he did it again.  
  
"Harry?" she ventured after several moments of this strange behavior.  
  
"Hm?" he murmured.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"Smelling you," he responded matter-of-factly.  
  
She didn't know what to say.  
  
"You smell nice," he supplied in response to her silence.  
  
She burrowed her head further in the pillow, trying to cover her embarrassment. "Well, thank you," she managed finally.  
  
"Getting better at the compliments, aren't I?"  
  
A frown tugged at the corner of her lips. "Look, Harry, I shouldn't have teased you about that."  
  
"No," he said quickly, "no, you were right. I'm-I'm terrible at them in general."  
  
She couldn't bear it anymore, as the question had been tormenting her the entire evening and he'd just provided her with the perfect opening. "Harry, did you really go to Hermione for advice?"  
  
He paused. "About compliments?"  
  
"About compliments and.and everything."  
  
"Why?" he asked carefully. "What did she say?"  
  
"Nothing! Nothing at all." She closed her eyes, fumbling for some way to explain. "It's just that we had this conversation recently and I said something about you and when she responded I just got the sense that she knew something she wasn't telling me." Her voice trailed off. "You know, I'm probably wrong," she said in a rushed voice. "Never mind."  
  
Harry let out a strangled moan suddenly and dropped his head away from her neck, on to the pillow behind her. "No, you're right."  
  
During the long period of silence that followed, Ginny kept busy by alternately berating herself for having said something to make him pull away and tamping down on her eagerness for him to elaborate.  
  
"I was going to ask you to the DA party, you know," he said suddenly in a soft, thoughtful voice. "But then I heard Neville ask you and I thought.well, I thought I'd missed my chance."  
  
Confusion washed over her and she automatically thought back to what had happened that evening, trying to put the order of events together from Harry's perspective. Before long, she was horrified to realize how easy it must have been for him to misinterpret what had taken place.  
  
"So," he continued obliviously, "I reckoned I'd have to find someone else, but then I heard from a few people that Neville was going to ask Luna." He paused.  
  
When he didn't continue after an appropriate amount of time, she prodded him as gently as she could. "Yes?"  
  
"Well." Harry said slowly.  
  
She bit back the urge to turn around hit him again as she doubted that resorting to violence every time he frustrated her was healthy in the long run.  
  
"So..I decided to. I decided to ask Hermione to find out for me."  
  
Her mind abruptly flashed to the painfully awkward conversation she and Hermione had shared before the DA party about looking appropriate for Ron and it suddenly became blindingly clear what her friend had initially been trying to say. "WHAT?!" she all but crowed and he slapped his hand over her mouth.  
  
They froze simultaneously and Ginny strained to hear any signs that she'd woken someone in the room. Her heart hammered violently against her chest.  
  
After several seconds of listening to Ron's steady snoring, Harry slowly removed his hand. "You're going to get us caught, you know," he said sternly into her ear.  
  
"I know, I'm sorry." She hoped her voice carried an appropriate amount of sincerity. "So you were saying.?"  
  
"Well, there's nothing else to say. I asked Hermione and she said she'd do it, but then she came and told me she couldn't."  
  
At this, Ginny started giggling.  
  
"What?" he asked wearily.  
  
"That's not quite true because.because she tried to, actually."  
  
"Oh no." he groaned.  
  
"Oh yes," she whispered back merrily, "and it was terrible. She really bungled it up something awful. Oh Harry, it was priceless." Ginny wasn't sure why this was suddenly as funny as it was, but she couldn't stop giggling. "Hermione kept stammering on about dates and not being able to reveal things and I've never heard her make such little sense."  
  
There was a significant pause before she dissolved into giggles again.  
  
"So-so wait.you knew?" he finally asked, his voice filled with incredulity. "You knew I'd been trying to find out all along?"  
  
"No!" She shook her head, stifling the last of her laughter. "No, I didn't know. At the time, I thought she was talking about Ron."  
  
Another pause.  
  
"Ron tried to find out too," he blurted out all of a sudden.  
  
"Great Merlin, no he didn't," Ginny shot back in disbelief.  
  
"Yes, he did." Harry sounded miserable. "I didn't want him to, but he started hinting about us going together on his own and when I told him that you were going with Neville, he said he didn't believe it. He wanted to ask you sooner, but I told him to let Hermione give it a try first. She didn't tell us that she couldn't do it until dinner and before I could stop him, he started asking everyone who they were going with."  
  
Ginny furrowed her brow. "But you already knew you were going to the party with Hannah by then." The comment came out before she had given it serious thought and she cringed at how accusatory it sounded.  
  
Harry sighed softly. "Yes.well.I had agreed to be her date that afternoon. She asked me after lunch. They didn't know."  
  
"Oh," she responded in a small voice. She reckoned she should have felt better that he had made such an effort to ask her, but instead all she felt was sadness over the fact that they had missed each other by a matter of a few hours.  
  
"I'm really, really sorry, Gin," he whispered fervently into her ear. "Neville had been avoiding Luna in the DA class for almost a week and Hermione kept telling me she'd ask you and then she didn't. When Hannah came up to me, I'd just made up my mind that you were going with Neville and it was stupid of me to assume that without knowing and I'm sorry. You don't know how sorry I am."  
  
Ginny shook her head absent-mindedly. It was her own fault, really, as far as she was concerned. She should have been as brave as Hannah Abbott. She should have asked him herself.  
  
"Tonight." he started in a strained voice. "Tonight.every time I saw you dancing with.I knew I should have said something. I regretted it so much but we got into that stupid fight right before and I couldn't.I mean, I just didn't know how to."  
  
He suddenly buried his face in her neck again and she could barely make out what he was saying but it didn't really matter. The truth was starting to dawn on her in bits and pieces and everything that had, up until this point, been so light and surreal was starting to take root in reality. Harry fancied her. Harry Potter really and truly fancied her and the joy inherent in that was so indescribable that she scarcely knew what to do.  
  
Perhaps the strangest part of it all was that instead of making her excited and energetic, she had never felt so calm in her entire life. The only way to describe the emotion was one of rightness and it suffused her aura with an ease and clarity that made her feel older for some reason.  
  
She gradually became aware of the fact that he was trembling behind her as he was probably mistaking her thoughtful silence for anger.  
  
He whispered her name then and the fear in his voice caused her pain, so she wordlessly lifted her hand off of his own and brought it up to where she felt his head nestled against her own. His hair was as soft as she'd imagined it to be and that was really the only thing she could think about as she stroked her fingers through it and made soothing sounds.  
  
He stilled after a while but she continued her careful ministrations, fully allowing herself to bask in the warmth of his closeness for the first time.  
  
She thought he might have fallen asleep when he suddenly readjusted his grip on her waist, drawing her closer.  
  
"Ginny?" he murmured.  
  
"Yes?" she responded quietly.  
  
"You're so beautiful."  
  
Her breath caught then, as she felt burned both by the words and by the fact that he had kissed her neck right after he'd said them. The incredible power he lorded over her, that she had spent so much time resenting, was now the grateful focus of every nerve in her body. He kissed her again, right below her ear, and she jumped as it caused a sensation like fire flooding through her veins. His hand slid up her stomach a bit higher to steady her against him.  
  
She exhaled slowly before whispering, "How long?" The question slid directly from her heart through her lips before she could truly understand it herself.  
  
When she felt him jerk slightly behind her, she knew she had hurt him by asking and instantly regretted it. "Forget that I brought it up at all, Harry. I'm sorry.it shouldn't matter."  
  
He mumbled something almost incoherent in response before rolling away from her.  
  
Her heart leapt. "What?" she whispered, not quite believing she'd heard him correctly.  
  
"Wizarding Chess," he said again in a clearer voice and, for the first time in a long time, she looked back over her shoulder at him.  
  
He had resumed his initial pose, flat on his back, with his arm covering most of his face but she didn't care.  
  
Rolling over until she was leaning sideways against him, she tried to get a look at his face. "You're joking."  
  
"No," he said in a sullen, miserable voice.  
  
The many hours they had spent playing chess together flew through her mind at a frightening speed as she searched for some signs, some clues, in retrospect, of what he was saying to her now. "You've liked me since.since way back during the summer? But.but we were barely even friends then."  
  
"It wasn't the same sort of like back then as it is now," he responded stiffly.  
  
"What do you mean?" she asked, genuinely confused.  
  
He paused. "Well..I didn't need to be friends with Cho to like her, did I?"  
  
She gasped then and blushed because that's when she finally understood. Lust. He had been physically attracted to her over the summer. The thought had the potential to irritate, had it not been for the way he'd preceded it.  
  
Still, she needed to be certain. "But now it's a different sort of like."  
  
"Yes, although I believe I said that already," he responded in such an aggravated voice that she wanted to laugh.  
  
Before she could formulate a proper response, his other arm quickly joined the first, effectively obscuring his entire face from her view.  
  
"Oh, Harry, come on now." She laid her head on his chest, trying to peer up under his arms. "Don't be silly."  
  
"You're laughing at me."  
  
"No I'm not," she said. But then she was, as she couldn't help it.  
  
"See?" he said darkly.  
  
"Please Harry.please come out." She poked his arm a few times, but he wouldn't budge. "Harry, I need you to look at me."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I just do."  
  
"No."  
  
A thought occurred to her at that moment, and it was too delicious to pass up.  
  
"Harry?"  
  
"What?"  
  
Dramatic pause.  
  
"Harry, have you ever heard of Oliver Wood?"  
  
She held her breath then, and smiled when she felt his chest hitch under her head.  
  
"Oliver Wood was one of the greatest Quidditch Captains Hogwarts has ever seen," she began in a reverent tone of voice but didn't get much farther as he suddenly withdrew his arms from his face, grabbed the pillow lying next to his head, and pressed it against his mouth. Moments later, she heard the muffled sound of uncontrollable laughter.  
  
As he was shaking too hard for her to stay were she was, she sat up triumphantly and readjusted herself so she was lying next to him again. She'd reckoned that she'd have to wait quite a while for him to calm down, and so was unprepared for when he unceremoniously flung the pillow across the bed and turned to face her.  
  
"You're terrible," he muttered in playful anger before grabbing her shoulders and rolling them over until she was pinned firmly underneath him.  
  
"And you're wonderful," she whispered back, brushing a lock of hair off his forehead.  
  
Their gazes locked momentarily and when his lips pressed down against her own this time, it was to explore in a lazy, gentle pattern that altogether lacked the dark frenzy that had colored their earlier time together.  
  
Not that frenzy was a bad thing, she was forced to remind herself as he trailed feather-light kisses down her jaw and neck, but just inappropriate under those particular circumstances.  
  
And that, it was safe to say, was the last coherent thought she had for quite some time since the kissing was gradually followed by the even more intensely pleasurable touching, thereby diverting her concentration entirely.  
  
In the end, it was Harry who broke contact first, pulling away abruptly, his eyes closed, his breathing irregular.  
  
Disappointed, she sat up as well, but waited patiently for him to speak first.  
  
"Ginny," he said finally. "You should go."  
  
"I know," she whispered softly, but made no move to comply with his directive.  
  
They sat there in silence for a few more seconds and she thought she saw him sway towards her again before he started and sat back.  
  
"Please." He said the word as though it physically hurt. "Just go, Gin."  
  
"All right." She let out a resigned sigh. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."  
  
He nodded.  
  
Grabbing hold of her dressing gown, she had almost crawled completely off of his bed when an impulse caused her to suddenly turn around, lean forward and kiss the top of his head. His hand came up to close around her wrist.  
  
"Sleep well, Harry," she whispered into his hair and waited a few beats until he finally released her.  
  
"You too," he murmured.  
  
Pulling her dressing gown back on as she padded silently out of his dormitory room, she hurried to close the door behind her as she could feel the weight of his eyes on her back and it was making her rethink her decision to leave.  
  
It wasn't until she was starting down the hallway that lead to her own room that she let go of the last of her reserve and broke into an all out run, coming very close to slamming the door behind her before leaping into her bed.  
  
Once safely under the covers, she felt as though she was just now remembering how to breathe and drew air into her lungs in shaky, rapid gulps.  
  
Looking to the foot of the bed, she saw that Maeven was fast asleep but Ginny knew she wouldn't be so lucky that evening as she lay flat on her back, staring up towards the heavens.  
  
As it turned out, she was right.  
  
For the rest of the night she was alternately plagued by a deep longing for him to come to her room as she had to his and an all-encompassing fear of what would happen if he did.  
  
It was the first time she'd ever understood why the Founders had put alarms up in the dormitories.  
  
She was grateful for their foresight.  
  
~*~  
  
End Part 10 


	11. Grey

A/N: Several people made a suggestion about something having to do with Maeven that will be addressed in this part. As Comet Moon was the first person to mention it, she gets the credit. :)  
  
A/N2: Just to clarify a point that appears to be causing much confusion: In American terms, Ginny removed her robe while with Harry-not her nightgown. There was absolutely no nudity and certainly no shagging in the previous chapter-at least as far as I know. ;)  
  
Chapter 11: Grey  
  
She was drifting.  
  
Drifting in a sea of warmth and colors and softness that flowed over her body and enveloped her senses. Snatches of memories slipped through every so often and she caught glimpses of things she hadn't noticed the first time around. The drugged look in his dark green eyes between kisses, the initial moment when his hand had tightened reflexively on her thigh, the soft sound he'd made when he'd broken away from her.it was all there, buried deep in the recesses of her subconscious.  
  
She could almost feel him, even now, as he ran his fingers through her hair. The gentle tugging sensation it had caused gradually became so real that, for one brief moment on the edge between sleep and wakefulness, Ginny wondered if Harry had finally found a way to come to her.  
  
That's when her eyes flew open and she sat up with a start.  
  
Maeven dropped the piece of hair she had been holding in her beak and fluttered around excitedly, chiming. Ginny fell backwards onto her pillow in disappointment.  
  
Hazarding a glance at her clock, she was horrified to realize that she had less than half an hour to meet her brother to go to the train station and she hadn't quite finished packing. Sleep had only begun to tug at her eyes minutes before she was scheduled to wake up and, despite her efforts not to, she had succumbed to it. Half sliding, half tumbling out of bed, she darted for the loo, shrugging off the last remnants of her dream in her all- encompassing panic to get downstairs.  
  
Running back in to the room a few minutes later, she saw some of the house elves hauling the last of her dormitory mates' luggage out the door. A bit worried about her own disorganized state, she muttered a few haphazard spells, and split her attention between the items dancing into her trunk behind her back and her appearance in the mirror in front of her. Though she had never been one to expend a large amount effort on the way she looked, she was nevertheless cursing herself for having overslept, as she really would have liked a few extra minutes to prepare this morning.  
  
Pulling a brush through her hair, she was dismayed to find it more tangled and uncooperative than usual. Since she didn't have time to plait it, she reckoned she'd have tie it up in a ponytail if she wanted to make an attempt at looking half-way decent. Maeven started chiming rather desperately then and Ginny's eyes flickered to the reflection of the bird behind her. Somehow, in her general enthusiasm to be helpful, her Familiar had managed to get caught inside the suitcase and was getting cheerfully buried under Ginny's dancing clothes.  
  
The brush still caught in her hair, she quickly sped over, extracted the phoenix, and took the opportunity to grab a skirt, shirt, and some robes to wear. The act of dressing was what ultimately calmed her down as it didn't take very long and allowed her to fully appreciate how completely stupid she was being.  
  
There was a reason why she disliked the general hysteria many of the other girls flung themselves into when they fancied a boy. Preparing for something as mundane as dinner would quickly become a chore and Ginny reckoned that if she could resist succumbing to that level of insanity for Michael, she could do the same for Harry. She was also convinced that Harry would simply die of embarrassment if he knew she was expending any effort on looking nice for him when she really should be concentrating on packing.  
  
And so, yanking the brush through her hair, she abandoned the mirror entirely in favor of getting the last of her things in her trunk in time to be taken to the train. Mission accomplished, she was so busy congratulating herself on being sensible that she was able to pause and put on a bit of extra lip-gloss without having it weigh significantly on her conscience.  
  
Maeven politely ignored this questionable behavior and flew obediently after Ginny as she hurriedly made her way down the stairs.  
  
Upon entering the Common Room, the first thing she saw was Dean Thomas talking excitedly with Katie Bell next to the Portrait Hole. He was still dressed in his pajamas while she was pulling on her scarf. Doing a quick visual sweep for Harry, Ginny was exceedingly disappointed to realize that he didn't appear to be there yet. The only other students present consisted of a few fourth years playing exploding snap near the fire and Ron and Hermione sitting side by side engrossed in a book. Well, Hermione was dutifully reading the book and saying something while Ron was dutifully staring at her profile.  
  
She wondered idly what would happen if she tried to skirt past Hermione and up to the boys' dormitory to look for Harry when she noticed that one of the fourth years was staring at her. Rather indiscreetly, he nudged one of his friends and before long the whole group was alternately glancing in her direction and whispering in subdued tones.  
  
Momentarily confused, Ginny frowned at them before she was struck by something that hadn't, until that point, occurred to her.  
  
No one knew.  
  
Biting her lip, Ginny realized that a large number of students had seen the fall out from the fight and had heard Ron shouting at Harry for making her cry, but no one, her brother included, was privy to what had happened afterwards.  
  
With an almost tangible sadness, she realized that every lovely scenario she had envisioned of running across the room and throwing herself into Harry's arms as soon as she laid eyes on him was no longer an option. Not unless she wanted to raise unending questions regarding her change of behavior and risk admitting that she'd visited his room late at night. Ginny wasn't quite sure she cared what people thought of the fact that she'd gone to see him as her intentions, at least initially, had been completely noble. She'd gone there to pound him senseless for being an idiot. What had happened thereafter.well, that wasn't entirely her fault. Neither was it anyone's business.  
  
Unfortunately, no matter how much sense that reasoning made to Ginny, she knew with near certainty that Harry would loathe the intrusive questions they would be subjected to and that was something she definitely cared about.  
  
Deciding that the best course of action would be to reign in her enthusiasm for the time being, Ginny felt the most normal thing to do while waiting for Harry to come down would be to join her brother. Before she could begin to make her way over, however, Ron saw her standing there and leapt to his feet, leaving Hermione in mid-sentence.  
  
Walking up, he wordlessly put an arm around her shoulders, pulled her forward and planted a hard kiss on her forehead. Surprised, she smiled into his robes in response. Ever since he'd started Hogwarts, Ron had made it clear that he wasn't one for public displays of affection. This change hadn't been particularly unexpected as the twins had done the same thing, but it had been a difficult adjustment for her as they had been closest in age and had been closest growing up.  
  
"You all right?" he asked gruffly as he pulled away.  
  
"Yes, thanks."  
  
Nodding briskly, he removed his arm from her shoulders and grinned. "I don't choose sides, you know."  
  
As he had been exceptionally kind to her these past two days, she decided not to argue. "I know, Ron. I know."  
  
There was a significant pause.  
  
"I don't think he's coming, so don't worry," he whispered suddenly.  
  
"Who?" Ginny asked.  
  
"Harry."  
  
"What?" Her heart sank.  
  
Ron shrugged casually, but it came out looking forced. "Dobby came in to our room early this morning and woke him up. Said Dumbledore wanted to see him."  
  
"What?!" Ginny moaned. "Wait- is everything all right?"  
  
A worried look briefly flitted across his features. "I reckon as much.I mean, he hasn't left Hogwarts so he should be fine."  
  
"But do you know for sure, Ron?" Ginny asked.  
  
He paused. "No, but Hermione is staying here. She said she'll check up on him as soon as she sees us off." He gave her a vaguely suspicious look. "I thought you didn't want to talk to him anyway."  
  
"Well, yes," she stammered, "I didn't, but that was last night. I was hoping to straighten things out with him before we left."  
  
"Ah, well, Mum said she'd owl Dumbledore and see if she can convince him to let Harry join us for Christmas Day, so you might get your chance then."  
  
"Oh." She tried to mask the defeated look that threatened to break over her face but realized it wasn't necessary because Ron had stopped paying attention. Following his gaze, she noted that Hermione was smiling and waving them over, patting the two empty spaces on either side of her. As Ginny followed her brother over, a hand suddenly shot out and grabbed the sleeve of her robes. Spinning around, she was a bit startled to find herself looking down at Neville, who was seated alone on a sofa.  
  
"Hi Gin," he said solemnly. "How are you?"  
  
"Fine, Neville," she responded, concerned. "Are you all right? Did something happen with Luna?"  
  
His face shifted momentarily from sadness to confusion. "Luna? No."  
  
"Then what happened?"  
  
His brow furrowed. "That's what I was going to ask you."  
  
"What?"  
  
He pulled her down closer as though telling a secret. "Listen Ginny, I-I heard about you and Harry and.if you want to talk about it...." he trailed off awkwardly.  
  
Unsure of what to say, she moved to take a seat next to him. Keeping this a secret - even temporarily - wasn't going to be nearly as easy as she'd thought and she felt bad lying to poor Neville. Especially when he looked so devastated on her behalf. Unfortunately, as close as they were, the notion of admitting to him that she had snogged Harry last night was so far beyond the realm of reality in her mind that she had no choice but to find another way to assuage his misery.  
  
Settling down with a heavy sigh, she tried to think of what she could offer him by way of the truth without getting too.graphic. "I don't know how to explain it, Neville. Sometimes Harry just.he just acts a bit strange is all. We both overreacted last night, but it's over now."  
  
"Did he try to hurt you?" Neville asked suddenly, causing Ginny to almost choke.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I heard he was chasing you and Ron stopped him. Did he try to hurt you, Gin?"  
  
She paused, stunned. "No, of course he didn't."  
  
"You'd tell me if he did, wouldn't you? Because...if he did, I'd-I'd do something about it." He was eyeing her carefully and despite her shock over his accusations, she couldn't help but feel touched. When Ron was overprotective it only served to irritate her, but with Neville, it was different. Perhaps it was because she knew how contrary it was to his nature to act this way. It wasn't that he lacked bravery -- he was a Gryffindor after all -- but Neville just plain disliked fighting. This was a quality she deeply respected in him, even though she didn't share it herself. Ginny knew beyond a doubt that if their positions were reversed, and she felt he had been wronged, she wouldn't have thought twice about hexing the other party into next week.  
  
Curling up against him, she smiled and hugged his arm. "I'd tell you if he did, I promise." She had expected him to squirm away in response to her touch, but when he didn't she laid her head comfortingly on his shoulder. "We just had a fight is all and he was trying to apologize and I was too angry to hear him."  
  
"All right, then." Neville responded, staring at the fire. After a few moments of silence, he took a deep breath. "You know, Ginny, Harry's great.usually..I don't know why he acts the way he does sometimes. I-I really don't think he means to.do what he does, Ginny. I mean, he really does..value your opinion on..on..things.."  
  
She pulled away from him then, her eyes narrowing slightly.  
  
Clearly responding to the suspicious look she was giving him, Neville's eyes widened. "I'm just guessing, is all, from-from what I've heard. I mean- seen."  
  
It was with an emotion torn slightly between horror and endless amusement that Ginny realized she had never stopped to really think about Neville's relationship to anyone but Luna and herself. She had simply assumed that all three of them had been forsaken by the Three Musketeers at the start of the year and that, due to the fact Ron was her brother, she was the closest bridge between the two groups.  
  
However, Neville was a year older than she and Luna so he spent much more time with Ron, Hermione and Harry by virtue of their classes alone. Neville and Harry had also shared the experience of being the last ones standing during the fight in the Ministry. It might not have been much, but it was just enough to make her wonder if perhaps he was privy to more information than he was letting on.  
  
She was about to question him further on the subject when a hush suddenly fell over the assembled group. Professor McGonagall had appeared in the portrait hole.  
  
"Students who are going home for Christmas, please collect yourselves and line up in the hallway," she said. "We will be leaving momentarily."  
  
And with that, the room erupted into a cacophony of noise as students hugged one another goodbye and pulled on their assorted hats, gloves, and woolen cloaks. A few ran upstairs to gather near-forgotten items and Ginny was one of them, as it occurred to her that she had left the bag containing Christmas gifts for her brothers under her bed.  
  
Arriving back in the hallway just in time to meet up with the group of fifty or so Gryffindors who were leaving, the trip to Hogsmeade and aboard the Hogwarts Express seemed shorter than usual.  
  
The train ride home, however, felt interminable and even Ron couldn't quite raise her spirits. They spoke briefly about the dance and she was finally able to ascertain, in the vaguest terms, that he hadn't actually physically harmed Harry at any point and that he still had no idea what had happened. Evidently, before retiring for the evening, they had formed a tenuous truce contingent on Harry apologizing to Ginny for whatever it was he had done the following morning. Ron expressed regret that Harry hadn't been able to fulfill his part of the bargain, but Ginny waved her brother off, saying that she'd see him soon enough. Their conversation gradually petered out after that and she leaned back to gaze out the window as they sat together in relative silence.  
  
She reckoned, from the distant expression on Ron's face, that he was missing Hermione already and that didn't bode well for their upcoming holiday because she felt the same way about Harry. As much as she loved her family, she found herself increasingly annoyed that her mother had insisted that they come home for Christmas this year -- especially because she had allowed Ron and the twins to stay back at Hogwarts over the holidays several times before.  
  
It wasn't until she stepped off the train at King's Cross and spotted Bill, Charlie and (sweet Merlin) Percy , that it all made sense. The sight of her three oldest brothers lifted her out of her melancholy mood like nothing else could. All but sprinting the distance between them, she leapt into Bill's arms, causing him to stumble back a few paces, laughing.  
  
After smothering him with kisses, she did the same with Charlie and, throwing all caution aside, subjected Percy to an identical greeting. She wasn't sure why, but when he failed to push her away or make annoyed sounds like she fully expected him to, it made her want to hold on forever.  
  
When she finally did pull away, he stepped back and regarded her for a few moments. "You've grown," he said simply.  
  
"You too," she whispered and he smiled at her weakly. Out of all of her siblings, Percy was perhaps the biggest enigma because, despite his straight-laced persona, he had been the one to rebel most from the Weasley mold. Standing there in the middle of the train station, studying the awkwardly earnest look on his face, Ginny was struck with the realization that this was the first time she felt she truly understood him. He had made a mistake and despite the fact that she knew he'd never admit it aloud, she also knew his presence at home for the holidays was a form of apology in itself.  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Ron clearing his throat and she moved aside to allow him the opportunity to greet Percy, which turned out to be a decidedly more reserved affair. However, she refused to allow her enthusiasm to be dampened. Watching Bill struggle with their luggage, she rushed over to help him and was all but brimming with excitement when they finally collected their things and made their way home.  
  
After being subjected to another whirlwind round of greetings from her parents and the twins (who Ginny noted were altogether steering clear of Percy), she managed to escape to the solitude of her room and was relieved to finally drop her trunk to the floor and shrug out of her travel clothing.  
  
Pulling on more comfortable robes, she realized, with a pang, that the only thing missing to make her life perfect was Harry. Being at home with her parents and brothers always seemed to make her think of him and she reckoned it was because they were the closest thing he had to a proper family. Hoping against all odds that her mother would be able to convince Dumbledore to let him visit, she flopped onto her back and stared up at the ceiling where Maeven was flying in excited, exploratory circles overhead. Letting her thoughts trail back over the events of the past few days, she laughed in silent amazement at how it continued to feel surreal. She still had difficulty focusing on what it had felt like to kiss him; on the other hand, the teasing, giddy laughter they had shared was so vivid it felt almost tangible and she found it incredibly entertaining to review those moments in her mind.  
  
Rolling to her side, she let her fingers trail invisible patterns on her bed spread as she thought about how handsome he'd looked in his dress robes and how sweet he'd been in those painfully awkward moments, sitting on his bed, when both of them had been at a loss for words. Even now, she longed to hear the sound of his voice.  
  
Closing her eyes, she was surprised to feel herself filled with an ache for him that was leagues more painful than anything she'd felt before last night.  
  
Maeven alighted in front of her then, and Ginny gently stroked her sleek feathers, able to feel the bird's heartbeat jumping wildly from the exertion of her recent flight.  
  
Idly, Ginny wondered if Hermione had managed to find him and was keeping him company. She wondered what he was doing just then and if whatever Dumbledore had wanted to ask him about was serious.  
  
She wondered if he was thinking about her the same way she was thinking about him.  
  
~*~  
  
Christmas Day dawned cold and overcast, but that was fairly typical for England at this time of year. What surprised Ginny was that the ground still lay frozen and naked, especially when the sky was covered in thick, white clouds and she could all but smell the sharp scent of snow in the air.  
  
The past four days spent at home had been relatively uneventful. Her father, Charlie, Percy, Ron, and the twins helped to decorate The Burrow while she, Bill, and her mother baked what ultimately looked like enough food to feed half of Hogwarts.  
  
Dumbledore's owl lending permission for Harry and Hermione to join them had arrived very late at night, so Ginny hadn't found out about their impending arrival until she awoke that morning. Part of her was glad for it. She had lost enough sleep these past few weeks as was.  
  
Since the tradition of opening presents had been postponed until after their guests had arrived, she found herself wandering listlessly around the kitchen, rearranging the last of the goodies her mother had produced into neat groups. Sneaking a ginger snap from the pile of cookies on the table, she just barely managed to duck out of Bill's way as he playfully made to snatch it back. The mock chase that ensued was abruptly cut short when a sound oddly reminiscent of an explosion burst forth from outside.  
  
Ginny ran for the kitchen window at roughly the same time Ron ran for the front door. Vaguely worried at what she was going to find, she instantly sighed in relief when she recognized the battered Knight Bus moments before it disappeared.  
  
Their guests had arrived.  
  
"Hello there!" she heard her brother shout jubilantly as she watched him race down the path in the bitter cold dressed only in his jumper and a pair of slacks. She smiled to herself when Hermione's frizzy hair came into view and Ron all but tripped over himself to help her with her bags.  
  
Her smile faded somewhat as she saw them start tugging back and forth over the items in question and although they were too far down the path to be heard, Ginny thought they looked like they were arguing with one another. This general behavior continued long enough for the twins to start catcalling at the pair from the front door and that in turn caused Hermione to look up, realize that she had an audience, and abruptly release one of the bags, sending Ron sprawling.  
  
Ginny let out a long, slow breath that momentarily fogged up the window then because Ron's tumble and Hermione's horrified dive to help him gather up the assorted packages that had rolled out around them finally allowed a third figure to emerge into her line of vision.  
  
Standing a few feet back, Harry stared at his two best friends with an exasperated look on his face but made no move to assist them in their frantic activity. His eyes lifted momentarily to the house and their gazes locked, causing a shock of happiness to fly through her. Lifting a hand against the glass in greeting she was pleased when he weakly returned the gesture but Ginny's father, who had finally made his way outdoors, interrupted the moment.  
  
Hauling his son to his feet, he flicked his wand twice to gain control of both Harry and Hermione's things before unceremoniously ushering the three teenagers ahead of him into the house.  
  
Ginny turned and wandered silently to the threshold of the kitchen door to watch as her mother rushed over to greet the new arrivals with an appropriate amount of maternal fuss. This particular activity went on for several minutes before her father quietly intervened and sent the pair upstairs to get themselves settled while the rest of the family waited in the living room.  
  
Somewhat disappointed that she hadn't been able to properly greet either of them during the frenetic pace of their arrival, she consoled herself with the thought that she wouldn't have been able to say much anyway, especially because Ron and Hermione fully expected her to still be angry with Harry. The thought of what was really going on almost made her start laughing when he walked back into the room, but she caught Ron's eye and sobered up immediately.  
  
"Well, Merry Christmas, all," Ginny's father said pleasantly. "Glad you're with us again this year, Harry and Hermione." He looked about to say something else but the twins made a noise as though they were ready to burst and, given past experience, Ginny wasn't sure they weren't. Unsurprisingly, her father relented. "Very well then, let's get started."  
  
The words were no sooner out of his mouth than a collective motion rocked the furniture so violently that Ginny almost thought she saw the floor heave in response as Ron, Charlie and the twins lunged for the pile of gifts on the floor. Bill managed to exercise marginally more restraint in the beginning, as he only leaned forward to pick presents out of the fray at random, but some ribbing from Charlie quickly dragged him in to the general hysteria.  
  
Watching them scramble on the floor, Ginny was pleased with herself for having had the presence of mind to sneak downstairs a few nights earlier and separate her own presents from the cluster below the tree. She leaned over the side of the sofa to retrieve them from where they were stashed.  
  
Hermione watched the destruction taking place on floor with a vaguely frightened look on her face and, noticing, Ron helpfully started tossing her a few packages with her name on them. He started doing the same for Harry when his subdued demeanor made it clear that he also had no intention of joining in on the mayhem.  
  
Resolving to arrange for apologies as soon as things quieted down a bit, Ginny busied herself with opening the assorted packages she'd received from her brothers.  
  
"Blimey, Hermione, this is the best gift, ever!" Ron crowed as he held up a Chudley Canons poster that Ginny knew for a fact he already had two copies of.  
  
"Are you sure, Ron?" she asked in an uncertain voice. "There were just so many and I wasn't sure which one you'd like."  
  
"No, this is fantastic."  
  
She smiled.  
  
"So much better than that ruddy homework planner from last year," he continued breathlessly and Ginny felt her spirits lift when Harry made a coughing noise to cover what had initially sounded like a bark of laughter.  
  
Opening up Bill's gift she was thrilled to find a pair of thin gold bracelets engraved with hieroglyphics. It was the first time any of her brothers had bought her jewelry as a gift and she smiled over at him appreciatively. "They're wonderful, Bill, thank you," she called. "You're going to have to tell me what they say, though."  
  
He paused to nod at her cheerfully before returning to where he was holding Charlie down in a headlock and trying to extricate a dark blue package from him.  
  
"Hey Gin," Ron shouted and she looked up. "Catch!"  
  
Holding her arms out just in time, she was suddenly struck by two medium- sized packages that her brother flung from across the room.  
  
"Harry and Hermione brought them," he yelled.  
  
Stealing a glance at the dark haired boy in question, Ginny saw that he and Hermione were busy tearing into their gifts from Ron. The look on Hermione's face when they simultaneously pulled out matching Chudley Cannons jerseys was almost too much and she quickly concentrated on forcing her trembling fingers to unwrap the packages in her lap.  
  
The first turned out to be a gorgeous hard covered book entitled Unblockable: Quidditch's Finest Chasers which she immediately guessed was from Harry. Opening the inside cover and seeing 'Happy Christmas' in his familiar scrawl confirmed her suspicions. Forcing herself not to hug the book to her chest in pleasure as she so desperately wanted to, she gingerly placed it next to her and unwrapped Hermione's gift, which turned out to be an elegant miniature stand with a plush silver cushion on top. A bit perplexed by this particular present, she shrugged and was about to thank her friend anyway when something about the sight of it tugged at her brain. Regarding it carefully, she abruptly tapped it with her wand and whispered, "Finite Incantatem."  
  
Maeven let out a surprised chime as the stand suddenly sprung three times larger than it had been before and Ginny almost lost her grip on the delicate structure. Trembling a bit under the weight of it, she carefully put it down on the floor near the sofa and smiled.  
  
"I believe that this is for you," Ginny said softly. Not needing much more encouragement, Maeven all but collapsed on the cushion, rolled on to her back, and spread her wings languidly under herself before kicking her feet up in the air in a decidedly unbird-like manner.  
  
Ginny laughed at her phoenix's display because she knew how sorely Maeven had wanted something like this. This perch was almost as nice as the one that Dumbledore had for Fawkes and she was incredibly grateful for Hermione's thoughtfulness. She wished she had been able to provide her bird with something like this herself, but, as phoenixes were rare Familiars, perches such as these were equally rare and very, very expensive. The cage had been a temporary solution to the problem of where to house Maeven and it was normally left open, except for recently when her phoenix's early life cycle made Ginny worry that she might hurt herself if left unrestrained and unattended.  
  
There was a sudden puff of green smoke from the left side of the room and Percy let out a startled yelp before shrieking and running in to the kitchen. For a split second, Ginny thought it looked as though his skin was turning blue. Her mother shot out of her seat just a beat behind the twins who leapt off the floor and up the stairs. So great was their rush to escape that they almost slammed in to Ginny's father as he hurried over to attend to Percy.  
  
With such a mass exodus, the noise in the room dropped to only a fraction of the level it had been at before and could mostly be attributed to Charlie and Bill, who were still struggling over the blue present on the floor.  
  
Ginny watched in amusement, about to ask what was in the package when she glanced over their battling figures and saw Ron nudging Harry while inclining his head in her direction. A look of intense reluctance on his face, Harry appeared even more depressed when he realized she'd been watching and this confused her.  
  
Even though she knew it was ridiculous, she felt mildly annoyed that he was so unwilling to go through the motions of an apology in front of his friends after he had dispatched with the real thing in private. It wasn't as though he didn't know what she was going to say.  
  
Stepping carefully around Charlie and Bill, Harry made his way across the room and settled into the seat next to her. Ginny shifted aside slightly to allow him more space. Darting him a glance under half-lidded eyes, she leaned back and took a deep breath, trying to look appropriately upset. There was another prolonged silence during which she listened to the rhythmic sound of his breathing and waited for him to speak.  
  
"Ginny," he murmured, and she knew she was in trouble right from the start as the rich timbre of his voice had already set her heart pounding. "I'm.I'm sorry. About everything."  
  
"It's all right, Harry," she said gently, trying to control the smile that threatened to break over her features.  
  
He sighed then. "No, it's not."  
  
"Yes, it is."  
  
There was a long moment of silence.  
  
"You have every reason to be angry with me," he said seriously.  
  
She took a moment then to admire his incredible emotional control. If nothing else, Harry certainly was convincing. "But I'm not mad at you any more."  
  
"Well, you should be."  
  
She paused again and glanced at him this time, the smile that had been tugging at her lips fading. "What do you mean? We were both at fault, Harry."  
  
"No, we weren't."  
  
Her brows furrowed in confusion. "But.but I lost my temper, too."  
  
"It was wrong of me.what happened--" he closed his eyes "--and I shouldn't have.I shouldn't have done what I did. I hope you can forgive me."  
  
She stared at him but he refused to meet her eyes. It occurred to her then that there was nothing funny about this strange dance they were doing, this predicament that they had found themselves in. She felt her self-confidence vanish as she began to worry that he might not be apologizing for what she had initially thought.  
  
"Harry, what do you mean?"  
  
"I mean I made a mistake that night and said things I shouldn't have. I did things I shouldn't have. I'm sorry, Gin, I really am and.and I'm hoping we can still be.well, I'm hoping we can still be friends." His voice trembled slightly on the last word and before she could respond, he lowered his voice so only she could hear. "Please don't hate me, Ginny."  
  
Her breath caught in her throat.  
  
He had such an utterly mournful look on his face that she dropped her gaze to the floor .  
  
"Oh," she whispered.  
  
The fact was that she had been caught unprepared. For the entirety of their relationship, she had viewed their interactions with almost the same strategic sensibilities she approached a game of chess. He was guarded and often prickly so she always braced herself for the worst no matter what the situation. Unfortunately, she hadn't done so this time.  
  
She had never, not even once, paused to contemplate the horrifying possibility that in the days since she had left him, Harry Potter might have changed his mind.  
  
He abruptly turned towards her then and a sudden spurt of fear caused her to divert her gaze away from him. She fought to overcome the bitter sensation that something was slipping through her fingers at an alarming rate and she just didn't have the energy to stop it. The heat of his eyes on her face caused the hairs on the nape of her neck to stand on end.  
  
"Ginny." he began imploringly, and she flinched at the sound of his voice saying her name.  
  
"Aw, come on, Gin," Ron suddenly burst, clearly having eavesdropped on most of the conversation. "He's making an effort, isn't he? Can't you just forgive him?"  
  
Because she knew that Ron had no idea what was going on, she chose to ignore him and simply concentrated on what she was going to do next. Gripping the cushion she was sitting on with almost painful ferocity, she finally settled on words over actions and decided to utter the only truth that came to mind. The only thing that was not swimming in the anger, or the hurt, or the disbelief currently assaulting her senses.  
  
Tipping her head up defiantly, she forced herself to look him in the eye. "I could never hate you, Harry," she said, her voice surprisingly strong. "You know that."  
  
And, with nothing left to give, she simply patted his arm and slowly got to her feet before making her way upstairs to her room.  
  
She didn't return for a very long time.  
  
~*~  
  
End Part 11  
  
A/N: I listen to music when I write and exclusively listened to 'The Scientist' by Coldplay for this part (when all else fails, blame it on the band.). It's worth checking out if you haven't already-especially if you're really interested in thoroughly depressing yourself while reading this part. It actually fits part 10 better than 11, which is a strange coincidence (realize I am restraining myself from making a pun on my pen name here).  
  
Also, some housekeeping stuff: The good news is that no, I am not leaving things this way. In fact, sections of the next few chapters have already been written. The bad news is that I start law school this Monday-lucky me. Expect updates to be fewer and farther between (sorry). 


	12. Redemption

Chapter 12: Redemption  
  
"Care for a game of chess, Harry?"  
  
His head whipped around towards her in surprise and she gazed back at him silently from where she stood in the doorway, her figure silhouetted by the faint light from the hall. She hadn't expected him to still be awake when she came down, but was happy to find him by himself staring out the window. She could see past him outside and noted, with some small sense of satisfaction, that it was finally snowing.  
  
"Of course," he said.  
  
Walking in to the room, she stooped to pull the game out from where it resided at the bottom of a bookshelf and brought it with her to the fire. By the time she arrived at their customary armchairs for playing chess, he was already seated and staring at her intently.  
  
"Would you like more light?" she asked politely, pointing her wand in the direction of a nearby lamp. It was rather dim in the room, with the only illumination being provided by the dying fire. This was primarily due to the lateness of the hour and the fact that the rest of her family was asleep.  
  
"No, this is fine."  
  
Sitting down across from him, she pulled the board out of the box and put it on the small table in front of her. It was an easy business, setting up this battered board between them, especially because she had done it so many times before. As such, the slight trembling of her fingers was almost imperceptible.  
  
"Black or white?" she asked.  
  
"Black," he said.  
  
Nodding, she gently opened two velvet bags and the pieces obediently ran out, scattering in to position. A few of them recognized her and waved. She smiled slightly in response.  
  
And with that, the game began.  
  
There was no sound between them, save the gentle click of the moving chess pieces which, for whatever reason, kept to themselves when not in use. Looking back, Ginny would realize that this was the most orderly game of Wizarding Chess she would ever have the opportunity to play.  
  
She watched him gently nudge his Knight forward, his long, pale fingers casting ominous shadows in the flickering light. He was a good opponent-- thoughtful, clever, and always focused-but never took more than a minute to move a piece. Ginny, on the other hand, could spend as long as ten minutes staring at the board before making her decision.  
  
In a sense, that's what she'd been doing for the past several hours by herself up in her bedroom: pondering her options. Granted, the first several minutes were spent alternately crying and fuming over his apology and that had been followed by a rather long, rather torturous period during which she agonized over what, specifically, had gone wrong.  
  
The delight she'd taken in reviewing the details of their evening together had quickly turned to dire humiliation when she realized they had almost gone as far in a single night as she had in the entirety of her relationship with Michael Corner. Realizing that, the notion that she had acted too eagerly and too forward and that's what had driven him away bounced recklessly around her head for what felt like an interminable amount of time.  
  
In the end, it had taken a visit from Hermione and the good, strong cup of tea she'd brought with her to fully purge that theory. Despite the fact that Ginny didn't breathe a word about her clandestine meeting with Harry, Hermione seemed to know that something had happened. Ginny suspected this because her friend was more forthcoming with information than usual. She essentially confided that Harry had been fine when he'd returned from his discussion with Dumbledore and that he had been in particularly good spirits the entire day. This had all ended after a second summons from the Headmaster later that evening, from which he'd returned sullen and withdrawn. No amount of questioning from Hermione had moved him to discuss the subject with her, but his spirits had improved somewhat after they'd received permission to come to The Burrow.  
  
If there was anything Ginny was grateful for, it was the fact that Hermione had left shortly after saying her piece and without asking the barrage of questions she normally did when confronted with something she didn't understand. This was particularly true because Ginny was in such a state that she probably would have divulged everything if prodded to do so.  
  
Lying alone in the quiet darkness of her room after Hermione's departure, she struggled to center her thoughts. The first, and foremost item that she had held up for consideration was the fact that he'd admitted that he liked her. No less important was the fact that he'd said, during his apology, that he wanted them to be friends. Although the revelation had felt like a physical blow at the time, upon further reflection she had realized that it was something she wanted as well. Friendship with Harry had always been inextricably linked to every romantic thought she'd ever had of him because she knew it was impossible to have one without the other.  
  
She wondered when she'd lost sight of that.  
  
In the end, the twin truths that he liked her and wanted to be her friend were things he couldn't erase with words. As such, she had rooted most of her subsequent thoughts in these simple facts and had held firm to them every time her confidence had started to wane.  
  
"Ginny?" Harry said quietly, breaking in to her thoughts.  
  
She tore her gaze from the fire and glanced at him, worried she'd been caught in her distraction. Despite the fact that he'd addressed her, he was still staring down at the board, as though contemplating his next move.  
  
"Yes?" she asked.  
  
"Thank you," he said softly, still not looking up.  
  
She knew full well why the words were said, and wasn't in the mood to pretend otherwise. So, instead, she simply threw him a cheeky smile and shrugged. "You're thanking me now, but wait until the end of this game when I whip you."  
  
His green eyes sparkled and he grinned, causing her heart to leap. "We'll see."  
  
And with that, they lapsed back into silence.  
  
For the majority of the time between the point at which Hermione had left her room and the moment she came downstairs and found Harry, Ginny had allowed her mind to wander down a thoroughly jumbled, strange path. It had started, for some reason, with her parents.  
  
She knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that her parents loved each other very, very deeply, despite how different they were and how many fiascos resulted from those differences. Her mum's protective nature coupled with her dad's hobby of enchanting Muggle objects always leant an element of disaster to their marriage. The most vivid incident that illustrated this point was when Ron and Harry had stolen her father's flying car to get to Hogwarts (clearly having learned nothing from the verbal lashing the twins were subjected to for a likewise offense). While Ron had received a Howler for his troubles, Ginny was later told by Bill **Bill had later told Ginny that her dad had been the subject of such ire that he'd jokingly owled his oldest son, asking if there were any job openings at Gringotts in Egypt. Despite the incident, her mother had eventually forgiven her father completely. She would never forget how they had come together to support her full force the moment she'd emerged from her ordeal in the Chamber of Secrets.  
  
Likewise, more recently, her father's decision to get stitches after being attacked by Voldemort's snake had kept her mother in a state of fury for three full days. Nonetheless, she'd never left her husband's side while he was at the hospital.  
  
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Ginny's thoughts had next turned to Harry's parents. She didn't know much about them, nor did she know how Harry had found out that his mother had initially thought his father was arrogant, but by all accounts they had loved each other very much. They had given their lives to save Harry. That alone spoke volumes for how much they cared for one another and their son.  
  
It always made her sad to think about Harry's parents. She had seen old photographs of Lily Potter and something about the woman reminded her of her own mother. She often wondered if things would have been different had she survived to raise her son. Sometimes Ginny thought about what Harry would be like if he'd grown up in an environment with people who loved and respected him. She reckoned he'd be a good deal happier and more confident but no less good or noble. She wondered if Lily Potter, as a fellow redhead and a Gryffindor, would have approved of Ginny and viewed her as a suitable girl for her son. The thought of Harry's mum gently steering him in her direction caused a painful enough ache in her chest that she quickly turned her mind to other things.  
  
Unfortunately, the parental theme was a hard one to get rid of, and the next thought she had had nearly did send her into tears, as it was of Neville's parents. She reckoned that the numerous tin foil wrappers they kept giving him was the only way they had of reaching out across their tortured void. Something about the look in his eyes when he accepted their gifts made her think that he knew it.  
  
It was then that she had needed to pause a moment and fully appreciate the fact that she missed Neville terribly. She wondered how his holiday was and if he and his grandmother ever got lonely, even when they were with one another. She was a bit surprised to realize that she missed him because, in a sense, she loved him too. It was the combination of feeling protective of him and protected by him that made their relationship less like that of best friends and more like that of siblings.  
  
And then there was Percy. During his period of estrangement from the Weasley household, everyone had become progressively angrier with him. And yet, their mum had always made it clear that he was always welcome as a part of the family. She'd owled him on a regular basis even after he had made her cry by sending his Christmas jumper back. To watch them now, talkative and friendly over dinner the previous evening, no one would be able to guess that he'd been gone at all.  
  
Love, she realized, came in countless colors, shades and flavors and none was more or less compelling than the other. The only constant she could find was that, in each instance of love, people stood by one another. Through good and bad times alike, each person had remained connected, much like those gold and silver strands she'd seen so many weeks ago.  
  
And, because she loved Harry, leaving after his apology to brood alone in her room had been wrong. She knew that now, but it still hurt to admit it. Looking back, he had looked so indescribably sad that morning and she felt ashamed that she hadn't really stopped to think about why he was acting the way he was before she indulged in her own emotions. She had reckoned that Dumbledore had said something to him during their second meeting that was a catalyst for whatever he was going through, but she sincerely doubted it was something as simple as a direct order for Harry to stay away from her. Otherwise, why would Dumbledore have let Harry stay at The Burrow for part of the holiday?  
  
No, she realized, it had to be something else. Something important and at least tangentially related to their relationship. An attack by Voldemort was the most obvious thing that came to mind, but again, Harry likely would not have been allowed out of Hogwarts if it was so serious.  
  
Sirius.  
  
The word had been like a lightning bolt to her brain.  
  
And all at once, she hadn't been able to believe she was so thoughtless and selfish. It might not have explained the whole story, but Ginny had reckoned that at least part of Harry's melancholy was due to his godfather's absence. Their last Christmas had been spent at Grimmauld Place so of course he'd be thinking about it more often now.  
  
In fact, that realization had been what had finally forced her to leave the sanctuary of her room. She had intended to just sit out on the porch for a few minutes to calm herself down and plan out her apologies to him for the following morning, but his presence by the window had changed all of that.  
  
"Your move, Gin," Harry said gently and she looked up at him, a bit embarrassed to have been caught drifting in her own thoughts yet again. He was staring back at her expectantly and she finally poked her knight, causing the horse to gallop across the board.  
  
Taking advantage of the break in the silence, she swallowed her fear and took a deep breath.  
  
"I miss him, you know," she said softly, "Sirius, I mean."  
  
Harry's hand froze above the chessboard from where he'd been about to prod his rook forward. Slowly, it came back down to rest on the table.  
  
"Sometimes," Ginny continued, "I try to make myself forget, but it never seems to last very long."  
  
He didn't respond.  
  
Steeling herself for the worst, she asked the question she knew might drive him away. "Do you ever feel like that, Harry?"  
  
There was a long period of silence then, before he abruptly picked up his bishop and moved it a few spaces.  
  
The extended silence that followed the sudden movement was stifling.  
  
"Your turn," he said roughly enough that she flinched and a wave of desperation crashed over her.  
  
"Listen, Harry, I'm sorry," she burst out. "I don't know why I'm mentioning it at all because I know you hate discussing this sort of thing, I really do, but.I suppose I was just thinking about it tonight and.well.I loved him too." She finally gave up trying to sound confident and her voice shook slightly from emotion. "And-and I miss him so much that it hurts so I can't imagine what you're going through but I just thought it was important to say something."  
  
There was more silence and she glanced at the board before half-heartedly waving a frightened pawn forward. "Your turn," she said.  
  
She waited, mute and miserable, for what she was sure would be a very long time but he surprised her by suddenly speaking, his words so quiet she could barely hear them.  
  
"I can't talk about this now, Ginny. I just can't."  
  
"Then don't!" She was so relieved to get any acknowledgement to her attempts, that the words tumbled off of her lips at an almost alarming rate. "I'm not asking you to say anything, but I just need you to know that I'm thinking about him too because.well, because we all are. And if.if you ever DO want to say anything, then you can. To me, to Ron, to Hermione, to Professor Dumbledore-nobody will think any lesser of you for it."  
  
"I can't talk about this with Dumbledore," he said darkly. "Or with Ron, or with Hermione."  
  
She was about to protest, when she realized he'd omitted one person from his list and paused. The risk had already been taken to she had little left to lose by bringing it to light. "What about with me?"  
  
He stared at the chessboard silently.  
  
Sighing, she leaned forward. "Look, when the time comes, Harry, just think about it, okay? I know it's hard, but I lo-" She broke off, horrified to realize what she had been about to say because words as powerful as those had no business slipping off her tongue that easily. Pulling herself together, she began again. "I look back on all the things that have happened to me, with Riddle, with the Ministry, and I know I'm better off because I spoke with people about it." She paused, because he was staring at her, his green eyes burning into her brown ones.  
  
Holding his gaze as bravely as she could, she set her jaw. "Just say you'll remember that I'm here if the mood ever strikes you. Please."  
  
He let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine then."  
  
"Thank you," she said.  
  
They gazed at each other during the silence that followed and she tried not to let the affection she felt for him show on her face. After a long period of time, he looked to be about to smile at her as well.  
  
"Your turn, Potter," she said finally, arching an eyebrow at him.  
  
"Think again, Weasley," he retorted, glancing down at the board.  
  
Ginny followed his gaze and was shocked to see one of her pawns sitting triumphantly on his king.  
  
"I won," she said in awe.  
  
"Looks like."  
  
A beat.  
  
"Sorry," she said, not sounding even remotely apologetic.  
  
"Yes, well." He shrugged and raked his fingers through his dark hair. "I don't mind."  
  
"Got enough practice losing to me already, haven't you Potter?"  
  
His lips twisted into a lopsided grin. "I wasn't going to tell you this, but I let you win, Weasley."  
  
"Right," she smirked back at him and he looked away from her almost shyly, turning his gaze towards the fire.  
  
She resisted the urge to touch him then because she knew the impulse was unfair and wrong to indulge. If it was friendship he wanted, then it was friendship that she'd give him.  
  
For years, she had told herself that she was in love with Harry.  
  
She reckoned that it was about time that she started acting like it.  
  
~*~  
  
The kitchen in The Burrow was unusually full the following morning and Ginny's mother had outdone herself cooking. Stacks of toast, bacon, sausages, and a variety of eggs were lined up along the kitchen counter. Ginny enjoyed the spectacle of people and food coming together from her position safely nestled between Harry and Bill at the table.  
  
"Good morning!" Mrs. Weasley said cheerfully, rifling through a stack of envelopes in her hands. "Several owls came in last night. There are a few addressed to both of you, Fred and George." She handed each boy an envelope. "Ginny, you have two. Ron you have one. Oh, Charlie, here's one from that friend of yours from school, darling girl, we haven't heard much from her." She paused, her brows furrowing, as he reached for the envelope. "Oh, but it's addressed to Bill-"  
  
Hearing his name, Bill looked up from where he was reading The Daily Prophet just as Charlie snatched the letter out of his mother's hands and bolted out of the kitchen.  
  
"Charlie!" she shouted, appalled.  
  
Muttering an oath, Bill jumped up so quickly he nearly knocked over Ginny's orange juice and sprinted after him.  
  
"Wh-what? What?' his mother sputtered in indignation just as there was a soft pop near the kitchen counter and in the place where Ginny's father had been standing moments before, was a large yellow canary. "Arthur!" she cried.  
  
"Oh, crikey...." Fred said.  
  
"Forgot to warn dad," George whispered.  
  
Shooting each other a glance, they simultaneously pushed back from the table and were running out the door into the yard just as Ginny's mother was pulling out her wand from her apron and taking off after them.  
  
"That's it, Fred and George Weasley! That is absolutely it! Merlin as my witness, you two will rue the day you ever-"  
  
And the rest of her sentence was cut off as the door slammed behind her.  
  
Hermione jumped at the loud sound, a look of complete horror frozen on her face and she looked over at Ron, who was calmly flipping through the copy of The Daily Prophet that Bill had abandoned. "Isn't anyone going to do anything about your father?" she whispered to Ginny.  
  
"Well, there's not much that can be done until it wears off," Ginny said. "I reckon it'll only take a few minutes. Ron?" she asked, waiting politely until she had captured her brother's full attention. "What's going on with Charlie and Bill?"  
  
Ron grinned, swallowing the last of the food in his mouth. "You missed it yesterday, but Bill's got a new girlfriend."  
  
"Really?" Ginny bounced forward in interest.  
  
Ron nodded. "Fred said that Charlie told him that Bill fancies that girl Charlie was good friends with back at Hogwarts.can't recall her name. Zea or something along those lines?"  
  
Ginny thought hard and a failed to come up with so much as a vague recollection of what the girl looked like. "But what about Fleur?"  
  
Ron shrugged. "Bill won't say and Charlie has been trying to find out what's been going on for ages but neither of them will tell him anything."  
  
"Morning all," Percy said, walking in to the kitchen.  
  
"Morning Percy, careful with the sausages on the counter and don't step on dad," Ginny replied.  
  
He paused and looked down at the canary perched on the floor. "Fred and George again?"  
  
The canary tweeted.  
  
Percy made a face. "Sorry, dad."  
  
Maeven, who had been sitting on Ginny's shoulder during the entire exchange, finally fluttered down to alight next to the other bird on the floor and started chiming in short spurts. Percy wisely avoided both birds and the sausages and started loading his plate with eggs and toast instead.  
  
"What's going on?" Hermione asked, pointing at the phoenix.  
  
"I think she's laughing," Ginny responded before dipping her spoon into her porridge.  
  
Just then, two red heads bobbed past one of the windows, followed closely by another one. Faintly, she could make out the sound of her mother's voice shouting, "Stupefy! Stupefy!"  
  
Harry got up and ran to the window to watch, while Ron casually flipped the page of the newspaper.  
  
"How does he just block everything out like that?" Hermione asked, staring in Ron's direction.  
  
Ginny shrugged. "He's used to it. We both are. If we didn't block it out most of the time, I reckon we'd never get anything done." She paused. "Certainly does explain a lot about him, though, doesn't it?"  
  
A second soft pop signaled the return of Ginny's father to his human form and he coughed slightly, brushing a few stray yellow feathers off of his robes.  
  
"You all right, Dad?" Percy asked, passing by him with a plate full of food.  
  
"No worse for wear," her father responded brightly. Coming to stand next to Harry, he gazed out the window for a few moments in silence. "Perhaps I should go out there and try to calm her down," he said finally.  
  
"Not a good idea, Dad." Ginny began, but he was already part way to the door.  
  
"Harry, mate, are you going to eat that last piece of bacon?" Ron asked from the table. He clearly took the vague, disinterested sound he got in response as a 'no', since he snatched the meat off of the plate next to him.  
  
Ginny's father walked out the door then, shutting it tightly behind him, leaving Harry to stare out the window alone. There was nearly a full minute of relative tranquility before he said, "Uh oh, here they come again."  
  
This announcement was followed by the sight of her brothers flashing past the first kitchen window, the sound of her mother screaming "Stupefy!" which resulted in a distinct thud, the sight of her brothers flashing past the second kitchen window clearly unharmed, and the sound of her mother shouting "Oh no! Arthur!"  
  
"Ginny!"  
  
She closed her eyes at the dual sound of Bill shouting her own name.  
  
"Ginny! Come here!"  
  
She stood slowly, not quite wanting to get involved with whatever insanity was taking place, but knowing she didn't have a choice in the matter.  
  
"Ginny!" He sounded increasingly desperate.  
  
"Give me a second, Bill!" she shouted back, walking her plate to the kitchen sink. Hermione quickly jumped up to follow her.  
  
Led by the sounds of vicious struggling, she finally located her oldest brother next to the stairs, suspended upside down in mid-air, his hands bound behind his back. His wand lay a few feet away from his head and he was eyeing it eagerly.  
  
Charlie, who was upright and still in possession of his wand as well as the letter, was nonetheless in a similarly disadvantaged position as he was rooted to the spot by a freezing charm. The way his mouth moved uselessly in response to Ginny's appearance made her realize he was also under the influence of a silencing charm.  
  
Hermione made a strangled sound as though stifling laughter, but it was drowned out by the delighted chuckle Harry let out from where he had come to stand behind them.  
  
"Ginny, fix this, will you?" Bill said urgently.  
  
Seeing that all the blood was rushing to her oldest brother's head, the first thing she did was flip him to an upright position with a twirl of her wand, but neglected to do much more than that.  
  
"Ginny!" he burst out, staring at her. "Let me down!"  
  
She stared at him as seriously as she could and willed herself not to look in Charlie's direction, for fear it would make her laugh. "I don't know about that, Bill. I think I need to know what's going on first."  
  
Suddenly realizing what she was on about, his expression changed to that of practiced charm. "Come on, Gin, who's your favorite brother?"  
  
Ah, the perennial favorite question with the answer that constantly changed depending on who asked it and under what circumstances.  
  
"That all depends," she drawled carefully, finally allowing her gaze to flicker from one brother to the other, "on which one lets me read the letter."  
  
Harry burst out laughing and even Hermione started to giggle at the horrified expression on Bill's face. Charlie sent her a positively wicked smile, his eyes sparkling dangerous. He nodded his head slightly and Ginny grinned.  
  
"Well, that settles it then."  
  
"Ginny, don't." Bill began, but she ignored him, raised her wand, and waved it vaguely before muttering, "Finite Incantatem."  
  
In a flash, Charlie unfroze and made to run away at roughly the same time Bill dropped to the ground and was freed from his bonds. Not even bothering with his wand, he simply launched himself at his younger brother and they stumbled backwards, flipping over the top of the sofa and tumbling to the floor below. The sound of furious wrestling coupled with a few punches followed before Bill finally got to his feet, triumphantly breathless and in possession of both the letter and Charlie's wand.  
  
Stalking towards them with a smug look on his face, he stooped briefly to collect his own wand from the floor. "Now who's your favorite brother?" he asked cheekily as he walked past his sister.  
  
"That's easy. Ron!" she called after his retreating figure.  
  
"What?" she heard Ron yell back from the kitchen, followed by a muffled, more conversational, "hey, wait, where did everyone go?"  
  
"Mad," Hermione said, shaking her head after Charlie had limped past them. "How do you all prevent yourselves from going mad? It's pure insanity."  
  
"I think it's wonderful," Harry said laughing and his eyes briefly met Ginny's.  
  
She was momentarily knocked breathless by how beautiful he was when he was so carelessly happy and she felt mildly relieved when Ron walked up to them, forcing her to break her gaze.  
  
"Anyone care for a game of chess?" he asked with a grin. "Harry and I have been practicing and I have it on good authority that we can trounce you girls."  
  
"Unlikely," Hermione responded, rolling her eyes, but started towards the living room anyway.  
  
Ginny and Harry followed suit, trailing a few feet behind.  
  
"Hey Gin," he said in a low, mischievous voice and she turned to glance at him. "Your hair looks very long today."  
  
She wrinkled her nose. "Really? Your eyes remind me of dead toads."  
  
"Ginny!" Ron gasped, looking back at her over his shoulder with a panicked look. He relaxed somewhat when Harry started laughing.  
  
"Oh please, it's fine," she said calmly and her brother looked unconvinced.  
  
"She's right," Harry affirmed gleefully. "Don't you recognize a compliment when you hear one, Ron?"  
  
"Nuts," Ron muttered under his breath, looking to Hermione for support. "I swear, they're both nuts."  
  
But Hermione was too busy trying to sort out the chess pieces to pay attention to what was going on. "Why is the.?" She looked up, clearly confused. "I can't get the black king to come out."  
  
"What?" Ron asked.  
  
"Well, he's saying something about humiliation and he won't stop clinging to the inside of the-"  
  
An absurdly high-pitched 'Hooray!' erupted from the chessboard, cutting the rest of her sentence off. Before Hermione could stop them, five white pawns ran in to the velvet bag and, moments later, they rushed out, carrying the struggling black king. With another 'Hooray!', they dropped him unceremoniously next to the black queen (who was hiding her face in her skirts and laughing) and ran back to their positions on the other end of the board.  
  
Ginny took a deep breath and Harry made a coughing sound.  
  
Hermione blinked. "Perhaps we should play something else."  
  
"No, they've always been a bit off," Ron said with a dismissive wave. "Harry, what color should we be?"  
  
"White," he said quickly and Ginny looked at him in disbelief. She made to swat him in mock irritation, but he caught her hand before it could make contact with his chest.  
  
The roguish smile that lit his features then made the joy she had been feeling freeze momentarily and stick in her throat. Time seemed to slow for a few seconds and she was struck by a dizziness she couldn't explain. Fortunately, just as swiftly as the emotion had swept through her, it passed. This was partially because she shook herself out of it, but mostly because Harry had quickly dropped her hand and gone to go help Hermione coax the near-hysterical queens into standing.  
  
Once that task had been accomplished, they took to settling themselves into their respective seats. The girls had to wait an additional few seconds while the boys jostled each other for space. Ginny made a significant effort in the interim not to watch Harry's hands as he repeatedly pushed Ron playfully off of the armrest the other boy was trying to sit on.  
  
The sensation of his fingers wrapped around her wrist had brought a strange tightness in her chest and it wasn't something she wanted to dwell on.  
  
As much as she loved him and delighted in their friendship there were moments like these that still made her burn.  
  
And she hoped, more than anything else, that it wouldn't take long before she could touch him without remembering.  
  
End Part 12 


	13. Lucky

A/N: To those who were kind with their nagging/emails, I thank you. To those who were less than kind (and you know who you are), we won't discuss it. Special thanks to Marian and Anne for the beta. I'm trying to get ahead so that when school starts up next week, I'll have some parts saved, but it's slow going, guys. Also, I'd like to thank you all again for reading and critiquing. It means a lot.  
  
Chapter 13: Lucky  
  
It was two weeks after Christmas when Ginny made a rather dismal discovery. She didn't know how to be Harry's friend.  
  
The notion sounded stupid even to her own ears, but after a return to Hogwarts she could only describe as strange, there was simply no other explanation for the way she was feeling. It was bad enough that she saw him almost every waking moment of the day. Between Quidditch and meals, and the fact that they were in the same House, Harry seemed to be underfoot almost constantly. But to make matters infinitely worse, he seemed to be adapting altogether TOO well to friendship.  
  
There was a duality in their relationship she was finding increasingly difficult to ignore. She would sit sometimes, listening to him talk about something mundane, like O.W.L.S. and it was as though she were standing outside of herself, watching the scene and feeling like an utter fraud. She had kissed him. She remembered that. Sometimes, it was difficult NOT to remember that.  
  
And yet, there he would be, drinking his pumpkin juice, acting for all the world like nothing had changed.  
  
She didn't know how he managed it. The only thing she could think of to explain his incredible ability to slip right into an easy friendship with her was that he simply hadn't felt what she had. But she knew it would be rewriting history to say that.  
  
So what she was left with was a good deal of confusion coupled with a healthy dose of anxiety. All things considered, it was difficult to see how she was any better off now than she had been before the DA party. In fact, she felt worse. At least before, they hadn't ever bothered to term their relationship. Now, she knew exactly what he expected of her. He wanted to be her friend.  
  
She felt herself gradually overcome by the nasty proposition that she was now trapped in a place she did not wish to be and one she did not know how to get out of. In a fit of desperation, she had confessed at least a part of what had happened to Neville. Even leaving out most of the details, it felt a bit odd to be discussing this sort of problem with a boy - but Ginny told herself she needed a fresh perspective. If she was to be entirely honest, however, she also needed to talk to someone closer. It wasn't quite that she distrusted Hermione, but with Neville, Ginny knew that if there was ever a question, his loyalties lay firmly with her.  
  
Unfortunately, even talking to Neville did little good. He seemed to think she wasn't patient enough. To her, however, it was impossible to be patient because the whole situation felt cheap and artificial. Forced.  
  
But the worst part was, she felt guilty. If she couldn't genuinely find it in herself to be friends with Harry, she wasn't sure what she would do.  
  
And now, sitting in the library across from him, she tried to keep her increasingly jumbled thoughts at bay and attempted, yet again, to concentrate on her homework.  
  
Unfortunately, it was nearly impossible what with.well, what with the staring.  
  
The moment Harry had asked if he could come study with her, Neville and Luna, Ginny had wanted to tell him no. It wasn't that her friends embarrassed her, but she knew Luna acted a bit eccentric sometimes and Harry never took well to that. It was the sort of thing that was bound to make them all feel uncomfortable.  
  
And now, inexplicably, Luna had spent the last fifteen minutes staring at them. Normally, Ginny would have asked her what was going on, but with Harry there, she wasn't sure she wanted an answer. Neville was no help. Every time Ginny glanced in his direction, he simply leaned over his paper and scribbled harder.  
  
She reckoned the staring wouldn't have been so bad had Luna not been sporting the oddest look on her face. It was a cross between satisfaction and supreme benevolence. That, and the fact that she sighed every time she switched from staring at Harry to Ginny and back again.  
  
Harry coughed then and Ginny looked up, bracing herself to defend Luna's admittedly dotty behavior but he simply continued writing. She didn't know why on earth he'd want to come study without Ron and Hermione anyway.  
  
After a particularly loud sigh, Ginny closed her eyes and put down her quill. "Problem, Luna?" she asked, trying to keep her voice calm.  
  
"No," Luna responded with a dreamy smile. "Actually, this is perfect. Thank you, Ginny. Thank you."  
  
"Uhm.well, you're welcome," Ginny responded, now more confused than before.  
  
"Although, now that you mention it, Harry." Luna drawled.  
  
Harry glanced up and did what Ginny believed was the best impression yet of someone truly engrossed in his work. "Hm?"  
  
"Could you be a dear and move your book?"  
  
"Oh sorry, I didn't realize that-" He stopped mid-sentence, clearly noting that none of his books were anywhere near any of Luna's things, nor were they obstructing any discernable view. He cleared his throat. "Uhm, which one, Luna?"  
  
"The green one."  
  
"Ah. Okay." He paused. "Where would you like me to move it?"  
  
"Oh, roughly two inches to the left, if you could. My left, that is."  
  
Ginny gnawed on her bottom lip as Harry complied.  
  
"Oh, marvelous. Thank you, Harry!"  
  
"No problem," Harry shot Ginny a good-natured smile and started to go back to his work.  
  
"Now, Ginny-" Luna began, eyeing Ginny's rucksack critically.  
  
"Luna, are you hungry?" Ginny asked.  
  
"Come to think of it.yes."  
  
"Neville?"  
  
"Famished," he responded, without looking up.  
  
"Dinner?"  
  
"Sounds good," Harry said, slamming his book shut. "I'm going to drop my books off at the Tower first."  
  
"Me too," Neville said.  
  
"Brilliant, I'll come with you," Ginny said.  
  
"I only have half a foot left for this essay," Luna sucked thoughtfully on her quill.  
  
"I can fetch you on our way back," Neville responded.  
  
And with that, the trio departed at a quick clip towards Gryffindor Tower. The journey was silent, and mercifully so for Ginny, who was caught between being aggravated with Luna for acting so strangely and aggravated with herself for being so judgmental. Luna was her friend and Ginny knew she shouldn't mind what others thought, but Harry wasn't just anyone and that she cared so much about his opinion irked her.  
  
Ever since she'd returned from Christmas holiday she'd felt herself increasingly on edge. Climbing through the portrait hole, she spotted her brother and Hermione reading by the fire.  
  
"Off to dinner?" she heard Ron ask as she made her way upstairs.  
  
"Yes," Harry responded, "I just want to drop this off in our room first."  
  
"Brilliant, we'll join you."  
  
Hurrying up the rest of the stairs, Ginny walked down the hall to the fifth year dormitory. Throwing her rucksack at the foot of her bed, she took a few minutes to put her books in her trunk before making her way back downstairs.  
  
She found Harry perched on the arm of the sofa, waiting for the rest of their group to come back. She smiled at him slightly before coming to lean against the back of the sofa. Not particularly in the mood for conversation, she stared at the fire.  
  
There was a moment of awkward silence before he let out a small laugh, causing her to glance his way.  
  
"So, you know, studying with Luna and Neville-"  
  
"Was bloody awkward, I know. I'm sorry." She blushed. "Last time we'll ever do that again, eh?"  
  
His smile faltered somewhat. "Actually, I was going to say that I got quite a bit more work done than I usually do."  
  
"Oh." She didn't quite know what else to say.  
  
"Ron and Hermione can get a little distracting sometimes."  
  
"Oh," she repeated uselessly.  
  
There was another moment of silence before he spoke again.  
  
"You.you thought it was awkward?"  
  
"Oh, no! No. Not at all." she tried to give him a breezy smile but her lips felt stiff and she wasn't quite sure she'd managed it.  
  
He stared at her, as though expecting some form of elaboration, but the words froze and her mind was terrifyingly blank. The echo of footsteps sounded on the stairs and it was with no small amount of relief that she spotted Ron and Neville coming down towards them. "Ready, then?" she called to the boys and tried valiantly to ignore the feeling of Harry's eyes still on her.  
  
"Just waiting for Hermione," Ron said.  
  
"Here. Sorry, there was a slight crisis upstairs." Hermione appeared, looking rather rumpled as she joined the group.  
  
"Not a problem, let's be off then." Ginny grabbed hold of Neville's arm and led the way out the portrait hole, distancing herself as far from Harry as possible.  
  
"You all right?" Neville whispered to her once they were several feet in front of their friends.  
  
"Just a complete coward, that's all," she said with a sigh, glancing over her shoulder to make sure the others were out of earshot.  
  
"She had a dream, you know," he murmured as they made their way down the hall.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Luna. She was just telling me she had a dream of you and Harry studying in the library when the two of you walked in."  
  
"Ah." Ginny wrinkled her nose. "How odd."  
  
"I know. That's why she was so.happy."  
  
"I see. Neville, why is Luna having dreams about Harry and me studying in the library?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Is this the first time?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"You're not being helpful."  
  
"I could ask her."  
  
"Please do."  
  
"Gin?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"You aren't a coward."  
  
"Thank you, Neville."  
  
He nudged her playfully. "I'm serious."  
  
With a soft moan, she rested her head on his arm. "I don't know how to act around him anymore, Neville, and it's driving me mad."  
  
"He told you he wanted to be your friend."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"That should make things easier."  
  
"Well, it doesn't."  
  
"I reckon you'll work it out."  
  
"He's so at ease and I swear everything I say makes me sound like an utter fool."  
  
"You're no fool, Gin. You're no coward, either." He slowed down then, allowing the others to catch up. "Luna asked me to fetch her from the library when we went," he said and Ginny reluctantly unhooked her arm from his. "I'll meet you all there." With that, he veered away from the group leaving Ginny with no other choice than to walk next to her brother.  
  
She had barely taken two steps before she felt the weight of a hand on her shoulder. "Did you still want help with your Charms homework after dinner?"  
  
Willing herself to be brave, she nodded at him. "Yes, thank you, Harry. As long as you're not too busy."  
  
"No, I did most of my homework before Quidditch practice."  
  
"That's insane," Ron muttered.  
  
"Typical, Ron." Hermione sighed, just loud enough for him to hear.  
  
"And what's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"Ginny!"  
  
Never so happy to hear someone shouting her name, Ginny quickly turned to see Susan Bones hurrying towards her, clutching her rucksack with a look of determination on her face.  
  
"Susan! I haven't seen you in ages. We're all just off to dinner, would you like to-"  
  
"Actually, Ginny, I've eaten already. I was hoping I could have a word." She sounded somewhat out of breath.  
  
Ginny's brows knit in confusion. "Of course. Harry, could you save me a seat?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"You know, Ron," Hermione said in an increasingly shrill voice, as she continued down the hall, oblivious to the fact that part of the group had stopped, "you're not stupid. There's no shame in putting just a bit more effort into what you do. Just because Harry doesn't feel like lolling about for hours in the afternoon and staying up until 3 in the morning doing homework doesn't mean you should make him feel bad about it."  
  
"Make him feel bad about it? Are you out of your mind?! I was joking. Merlin, Hermione, what's your problem lately? A bloke can't say two words in front of you without having his ear chewed off."  
  
Leaning low, Harry whispered "Hurry" into her ear before jogging off to join his friends.  
  
She stared after him, mildly dazed by his sudden closeness and the heat of his breath on her neck, but was jolted back to reality when Susan tugged the sleeve of her robes.  
  
"C'mon, let's go in here." She said, beckoning Ginny in to an empty classroom.  
  
Blinking to clear her mind, Ginny obliged. Once the door had been firmly shut and the girls seated, she finally got a good look at her friend and was a bit surprised by the weary, dull look in her eyes.  
  
"Susan, are you all right? It's been nearly two months-"  
  
"Blaise and I are in love and I have a favor to ask you."  
  
Ginny's mouth closed and she simply stared at her friend in silence for several seconds before managing to choke out, "Blaise?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Zabini?"  
  
Slightly more exasperated, "Yes."  
  
"But he's a Slytherin and you're-you're a Hufflepuff!"  
  
"Yes, thank you, because I needed reminding as to what house I belong to." Ginny flinched at the sudden venom and Susan sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have barked at you. It's just that, well, it's been frustrating is all. You don't know what these past two months have been like, Gin."  
  
Clamping down on her hurt feelings, Ginny leaned forward. "Then tell me."  
  
"Well, it started back right after Maeven caught on fire and Malfoy tried to burn us to death."  
  
Susan paused, as though trying to collect her thoughts and Ginny waited patiently.  
  
"I caught up with Blaise that evening outside the Great Hall and thanked him for helping us. I didn't really expect much of a response, but he barely even looked at me. He just sort of sniffed and walked away. I was annoyed, but I let it go. I reckoned it was good, you know, to finally know the sort of person he was and if he was going to be arrogant about it, well, I could finally just ignore him. So.so I did, for almost a week. And then, after our next Familiar's class, he slipped me this note. All it said was 'Potions Classroom, 11pm'."  
  
"What?" Ginny couldn't help herself from saying.  
  
Susan nodded. "I didn't know what to make of it. I wanted to ask him, but I reckoned I shouldn't say anything because, well, generally people pass notes when the want things to be kept secret."  
  
"But you went."  
  
"Yes, more out of curiosity than anything else, I went. I half expected it to be some kind of trick and that I'd be walking into detention with Snape, but Snape wasn't there and the classroom was empty."  
  
"He stood you up?"  
  
"No, he came eventually, but he was ten minutes late. He just sort of strode in, closed the door behind him, looked at me and told me to stop being so bloody obvious." Ginny let out a sound part way between a snort of laughter and a gasp and Susan nodded, "I was so mortified." And then she stopped, biting her lip.  
  
"And then?" Ginny prodded gently.  
  
"An-and then.well, we didn't talk for a long time." Even in the dim winter light coming through the windows, Ginny could see Susan was blushing. "Afterwards I-I tried to ask him why he'd wanted to meet me in the Potions classroom or why he'd even chosen me to begin with. All he'd say was that he'd noticed me staring at him for weeks, but didn't mind so much because I was pretty. I reckoned he didn't think I was worth talking to."  
  
"Susan."  
  
The Hufflepuff swiftly shook her head. "It went on like that, for.for a while. Us just meeting up in the Potions classroom when Blaise knew Snape wouldn't be there. It was pleasant, and unexpected. I'm not really used to boys looking my way like that, much less ones like Blaise, so it was nice. And that's all I thought it ever would be."  
  
"But then it became more," Ginny said softly.  
  
Susan nodded. "One day Blaise was over 20 minutes late and just as I was about to leave, he stormed in, slammed the door shut and yanked me over to one of the lab benches and started talking."  
  
For a brief second, Ginny thought she saw a shimmer of tears in Susan's eyes before the Hufflepuff abruptly stood and walked to the window. There was nearly a full minute of silence before she started talking again.  
  
"You don't know what it's like.for them.to be in there. For all of us the war is this thing outside, beyond the walls of Hogwarts and inside-we're safe. But for the Slytherins..it's in their Common Room. Can you imagine what it's like to have people all around you whose parents you KNOW are Death Eaters and there's nothing anyone can do about it? And all they ever do is make your life miserable and threaten you and tell you that if you don't agree with them, they'll hurt you or your family? People like Malfoy make it excruciating to be in that house. Blaise hates him."  
  
Ginny stood up and joined her friend at the window.  
  
"That's why they all are the way they are. So many of them go in there and.change. I think.I think Snape tries to do what he can to-to help them, but even he can't..I mean, not without.Ginny, you're going to think I'm crazy, but I think Snape is on our side."  
  
At this, Ginny very nearly laughed. "I don't think you're crazy, Susan."  
  
"He helped Blaise. I think he's.well, training him somehow. Training him for the war." Susan shivered slightly, from cold or fear, Ginny was uncertain. "Think about what the Sorting Hat said about houses having to stand together. I know a lot of people in Hufflepuff thought it meant we needed to be more vigilant because of the likes of Malfoy and other Slytherins-but just think, Gin. What if it really meant that we had to stand together FOR the Slytherins?"  
  
There was nearly ten seconds of silence before Ginny realize that Susan expected an answer. "Susan, I don't quite think I know what you mean."  
  
"Ginny, have you ever stopped to wonder what you'd be if you weren't a Gryffindor? Or why you were even sorted into the house you're in? I mean, take Hermione. Why Gryffindor and not, for example, Ravenclaw?"  
  
Ginny shook her head, "Well, it isn't as though Hermione is ONLY about studying, you know-"  
  
"And you're saying that all Ravenclaws are?"  
  
"Well, mostly-"  
  
"What about Cho Chang? Come on, Gin, Hermione is loads smarter and more studious than Cho."  
  
Ginny opened her mouth to respond but then closed it again.  
  
"Or your brother Percy. I mean, don't you think he would've made a good Ravenclaw?"  
  
"Well, perhaps, but everyone in my family has been sorted into Gryffindor!"  
  
"But don't you see? If that's true, and we're just being sorted by family lines then it really is arbitrary!"  
  
"There are REASONS why we're sorted, Susan."  
  
"Harry is a Parselmouth, for pity's sakes. So was Salazar bloody Slytherin."  
  
"Harry's a Gryffindor," Ginny said swiftly, "He could NEVER be a Slytherin."  
  
"There's nothing WRONG with being a Slytherin!" Susan shot back, angrily.  
  
"Malfoy is a Slytherin. Voldemort was a Slytherin," Ginny responded, her voice deadly quiet. "You weren't in the Chamber of Secrets, you didn't see that thing Salazar Slytherin kept locked up in his cave-that monster he kept alive that could have killed us all."  
  
"You're right," Susan said, sounding tired. "I don't know about that. I wasn't in the chamber. But don't forget, Ginny, that Snape is a Slytherin and he's not evil. Neither is Blaise. He's going to leave, you know. Do work for the Ministry or something as a spy. It sounds dangerous."  
  
Her anger faded into worry and Ginny shot Susan an apologetic look. "I'm sorry."  
  
Susan merely shrugged. "In the end, Harry is going to stop it, but it's men like Blaise who'll tell them everything they need to win-and no one will ever know."  
  
Stricken, Ginny opened her mouth, but Susan abruptly shook her head.  
  
"I know what you're going to say, Gin. Harry doesn't want it, and.and to be honest, I don't think Blaise would want it either. He doesn't want people to know what he's doing. The only reason I'm telling you all this is because I know Harry sometimes.sometimes he sees things. Helpful things. And if he ever sees anything about Blaise..and tells you.I'm hoping you would.." At this, Susan's voice trailed off and she simply stared weakly at her hands and shrugged. "I-I don't know. To be honest, I don't know what I'm asking for," she whispered miserably.  
  
Ginny could vaguely hear the sound of footsteps approaching them and swiftly took her friend's hands. "If I hear anything, you'll be the first to know," she whispered fervently, and Susan looked up at her, her dark blue eyes swimming in tears. "Oh, Susan, don't cry," she pulled her friend forward in a hug. The footsteps came closer but, much to Ginny's relief, veered off just before reaching their classroom and faded down the corridor.  
  
When she sat back she noted with a bit of surprise that the Hufflepuff had recomposed her features to erase all signs of discomfort. It was, Ginny realized, a rather Slytherin thing to do and she wasn't quite sure how she felt about it. "Susan-"  
  
"I'm fine," Susan responded quietly.  
  
An uncomfortable silence settled between the two girls as Ginny mulled over everything she had just been told. She thought back to the DA Christmas party and the small group of young Slytherins who had attended. At the time, she had just chalked up their behavior to typical Slytherin anti- social snobbery, but viewed in light of everything Susan had just said, she might have been deeply mistaken. They might well have been simply too scared to approach anyone else. Rarely associating outside of their own house, they'd taken a great risk coming to the party at all. She felt terrible to realize that she hadn't even greeted them. Closing her eyes, she rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Have you spoken to Blaise about all this? What does he have to say?"  
  
At this, Susan let out a short, harsh laugh, "No, I haven't spoken to Blaise about this. In fact, I haven't spoken to Blaise in two weeks."  
  
"What?"  
  
Susan shrugged causally, "I don't know. He stopped talking to me. It might have been because of Malfoy, it might be something Snape said to him. Frankly, I don't care why he stopped. I love him, Ginny. He knows that. And in the two months we were together, he loved me." She pinned the Gryffindor with a defiant look, as though daring her to disagree. "And once I leave this place, I'm going to follow him."  
  
Ginny felt her heart plummet to her stomach in fear. "Oh, Susan."  
  
"I am. I've made up my mind."  
  
"Susan, please."  
  
"You don't think I can do it, do you?"  
  
"No, it's not that-Susan, I just don't want to see you hurt-or worse."  
  
"And if it were Harry, Ginny? Would you do anything different?"  
  
At this, Ginny fell silent. If it were Harry leaving to go on some dangerous mission, would she follow him? Could she ever choose not to? She considered her parents, her brothers, the fact that Voldemort had already tried to use her once to get to him. She thought back to that terrifying night at the Ministry.and came to the conclusion that she honestly didn't know what she'd do.  
  
"Look, I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound bitter. I'm happy for you, Gin. Really, I am. I'm happy for you and Harry because you've found each other."  
  
"But we aren't together, we're just friends."  
  
Susan paused then and sent her a sad smile. "Friends? Merlin, what bliss. You're lucky, you know. So lucky. Do you have any idea what I'd give to be able to just sit with Blaise? In the Great Hall or in the Common Room? Just to sit with him and.and be with him? To not have to hide the fact that we even know eachother?"  
  
And it was almost the worst Ginny had ever felt about anything in her entire life. Shame flooded through her and her cheeks grew warm. She should have come to this conclusion herself. She WAS lucky. And instead of being grateful for every second she spent with Harry, she had been selfish and indulgent, with her head in the clouds and her heart jealously aching for more.  
  
"Oh, Gin, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply-."  
  
"I'm a wretched friend, Susan," Ginny said. For a second, she thought she glimpsed something of the gentleness and vulnerability that she remembered in her friend's eyes.  
  
"No, you're not."  
  
"I am. I'm a terrible, wretched friend. I'm so sorry. I had no idea what you were going through-"  
  
"I wasn't ready to tell anyone then. I am now. And it's good of you to listen." She paused. "I-I need to go now. I told Justin I'd meet with him to go over Muggle Studies homework and I'm already a half hour late."  
  
Ginny sighed. "Susan, promise me you'll come to me before you decide to do anything-or go anywhere."  
  
"You can't talk me out of it, Gin."  
  
"I know that and I wouldn't. I just need to see you before you go."  
  
A pause.  
  
"Alright."  
  
"I've missed you Susan."  
  
"And I, you." For a moment, she looked as though she wanted to cry again, but instead stood up and walked to the door. Ginny followed suit. Stepping out into the hallway, Susan paused and gave her a brief, tight hug. "Be seeing you," she whispered.  
  
"You'd better."  
  
And with that, they went their separate ways.  
  
When Ginny pushed open to doors to the Great Hall, she was almost immediately assaulted by the cacophony of students jostling each other and enjoying their meal. Still rather drained by her whole conversation with Susan, she made her way over to her friends and sank into an empty seat.  
  
The rest of dinner was spent in relative silence as she paid only a small amount of attention to the chattering going on around her. She was in such a distracted state, in fact, that it wasn't until she was halfway back to the Common Room that she realized the rest of the group had gone on ahead and she was walking alone with Harry.  
  
"So, would you like to meet in the library or just stay in the Tower?" he asked.  
  
"Sorry, what?" She looked at him, genuinely confused.  
  
"For Charms."  
  
"Oh! Oh." she frowned. "Listen, Harry, I've been thinking I'm better off working on Potions alone tonight and Charms tomorrow. Do you have time tomorrow?"  
  
"I'm supposed to help Professor Lupin with something after dinner, but if you're up later, then that should work."  
  
"Thank you. I-I just reckon that I should work on Potions now, you see," she didn't know why she was still talking, as she felt more and more ridiculous, but something spurned her forward. "It's one of my harder subjects and I just always tend to put off the hard things for later."  
  
A pause.  
  
"No, I understand," he said quietly. "I tend to do that too."  
  
They had reached the Portrait Hole and she was just about to give the password when he put his hand on her arm, stopping her.  
  
"Ginny, what are you doing later this week?"  
  
She raised an eyebrow at him. "When?"  
  
"I-I don't know," he said, suddenly looking rather disconcerted.  
  
"Nevermind, I'm free," she said quickly. "What did you have in mind?"  
  
"I'm just thinking that there's.well, there's something I might want to show you.later." Taking in the bemused look on her face, he reddened slightly. "It's nothing bad."  
  
"So what you're saying is at some point this week there's something somewhere you might want to show me?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
She nodded her head gravely and tried not to laugh. "Good. Count me in." Giving the Fat Lady the password, she started to make her way through the portrait hole.  
  
"Any idea where you'll be?" she heard Harry ask from behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she caught the teasing look in his eyes and shrugged.  
  
"No clue, but if you can't find me - just send Hedwig." It took her a moment to realize what she'd just said and she was momentarily horrified at what she'd just made light of. The incredulous look on Harry's face only made things worse. His subsequent laughter, however, felt like a balm on her frayed nerves.  
  
It was the first time in a long time that Ginny remembered what it felt like to be truly at ease around Harry.  
  
It was like a burden momentarily lifted and it gave her hope that maybe, just maybe, they might be friends. 


	14. What Should Have Been

A/N: Hi everyone, this is a bit of a surprise update. Sadly, it will be the last before my break ends and I go back to school. I must say I've seen people get flamed for NOT updating, but I've never been flamed FOR updating before, heh. If you're angry with the long time between updates, then my best piece of advice would be to simply wait until the fic is completed. With school, it's impossible for me to write, so I unfortunately can't promise anything. I've also been getting many frustrated emails about Dumbledore, asking what he said. For the sake of everyone's sanity, I WILL reveal that you'll start to discover that in Chapter 15. Until next time, everyone! Thank you to my betas Marian and Anne. Much love to Faelaern and Delylah-this one is for them.  
  
Chapter 14: What should have been  
  
By the end of the week, Ginny had all but forgotten about Harry's offer to show her something. At the time, she had sincerely hoped he was taking her up on her original offer to talk about Sirius, but he had been so vague and noncommittal that she'd simply assumed he would change his mind.  
  
Every time she tried to imagine having a heartfelt conversation with Harry about the death of his godfather, she pulled a complete blank. Barring a sweeping emotional breakdown on his part, she simply couldn't picture Harry conversing with anyone about Sirius. He had grown so guarded over time that it seemed entirely against his nature-and something about that broke her heart.  
  
So it was with an enormous amount of surprise, when, Saturday afternoon, while she was lying on her stomach in the library with Luna and Susan pouring over the latest Quibbler, she looked up and saw him standing over them.  
  
"Hi Harry," Ginny said, scrambling to a seated position. The other two girls merely looked up at him.  
  
"Erm.hello," he nodded at the group before focusing his attention on Ginny. "Are you, busy now, Gin?"  
  
She got to her feet quickly and tried to ignore the look Susan shot Luna. "Not at all. We're just having a study break."  
  
"Did you hear about Lucious Malfoy and his nasty cake habit?" Luna piped up.  
  
"Cake habit?" Harry asked, looking down at her.  
  
"Cake habit. Tarts and pastries, and the like," Susan supplied helpfully. "It's tragic, really, but according to this, the man couldn't control himself." She pointed at a picture in the paper, a smile playing on her lips. "From the looks of it, he's nearly 400 pounds."  
  
Harry leaned forward a bit for a better look and made a choking noise.  
  
"He had to put on many glamours before coming out in public," Luna said in a quiet, serious, voice. "It's very sad. He never learned to love himself the way he is. I imagine it must have been hard for him because he's such a terrible, awful man."  
  
"Oh." Harry responded after a few moments. "Well, I hadn't heard."  
  
"Quibbler exclusive, five part series," Susan said, tapping the paper. "'Lucious Malfoy-Before Azkaban.'"  
  
"You really ought to read the news more often, Harry," Luna said. "It's the only way to stay informed."  
  
"Thank you, Luna," Harry said and she nodded graciously before going back to read.  
  
"So." Ginny said, sending him an expectant look.  
  
"Oh, sorry," he seemed as though he'd momentarily lost his train of thought, "Gin, could you." He gestured vaguely.  
  
Luckily, she was becoming increasingly fluent in Harry and swiftly nodded, "Of course."  
  
Saying goodbye to her friends, she followed him out of the library.  
  
"Remember when I said that I wanted to show you something at some point?" he asked once they were out in the hall.  
  
She nodded.  
  
"I was hoping to do that now."  
  
"All right," she said, trying to cover her enthusiasm by being as calm and causal as possible. "Where to?"  
  
"Well.would the Astronomy Tower be acceptable?"  
  
"Lead the way."  
  
They set off together, Ginny all but brimming excitement, and when they reached the top of the stairs to the Tower, she was relieved to find the space empty.  
  
Stepping inside, she allowed him to shut the door behind them and before following him to one of the windows. He settled cross-legged on the floor and she did the same, facing him.  
  
"It's not really that interesting," he began, reaching into his rucksack and Ginny had to restrain herself from shouting that it most certainly was and for Merlin's sake to hurry up. "It's.well, I just have a few pictures."  
  
She had been expecting something like this, but when he finally drew out the photos, she was a bit surprised to see how small the stack was.  
  
Looking increasingly less certain of the situation, he stared at her awkwardly. "They're of my.my mum and dad..and I don't know.I just thought that maybe you'd like to see them." He paused, looking at her. She was about to agree but he suddenly started talking again. "On the other hand, if you're busy now."  
  
Her eyes widened in horror as he looked about to put them away again and it was all she could do to stop herself from lunging at him, knocking him over and tearing the pictures out of his hands.  
  
"Don't be ridiculous, Harry, of course I'd love to see them." She tried to keep her voice as light as possible. Nevertheless, she felt a twinge of irritation to see he his continued uncertainty and, exasperated, she reached forward and pulled the top one out of the stack.  
  
He sent her a startled look before obediently leaning forward to see which one she'd chosen. "This is.well, this is my dad, and this here is my mum," Harry said in a rushed voice, pointing to two of the five figures seated around the Gryffindor Common Room.  
  
Ginny nodded, despite the fact she had seen enough pictures of James and Lily Potter to be able to identify them on sight without his help. She recognized the others in the room as Sirius, Professor Lupin and a man she refused to think of as anything but a rat. Ron's former rat, to be exact: Scabbers.  
  
"The picture was taken their last year at Hogwarts," he continued and she nodded, watching James and Lily huddle together by the fire while Professor Lupin read next to them and Sirius kept looking at his watch and nudging James with his foot as though bored out of his mind. Scabbers was seated on the other side of Professor Lupin and Ginny didn't care to see what he was doing.  
  
There was a painful silence before Harry abruptly reached down and plucked the next picture from the pile.  
  
"I think this was fifth year," he said, handing it to her. She watched as a group of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw girls were huddled outside talking to one another when there was a sudden flash of light. When it faded, everyone's hair had turned bright green.  
  
Ginny smiled a bit as the girls alternately started pointing at each other in horror. "Looks like something Fred and George would do," she said.  
  
Harry lifted an eyebrow. "Or my father."  
  
"Your father?"  
  
As the girls started running away, shrieking, the circle thinned and Ginny realized that one person had remained untouched by the blast. Lily Potter's red locks were only matched by her increasingly red face.  
  
Harry pointed to the background and sure enough, Ginny spotted the familiar dark hair and glasses. The self satisfied look on James Potter's face was enough to make her grin.  
  
"Professor Lupin said he loved playing pranks, but he almost never did anything to her," Harry said quietly, watching his mother look around the picture in fury, gripping her wand in her hand.  
  
"Sort of his way of saying he fancied her?" Ginny said with a smile and Harry simply shrugged. For a moment, it made Ginny think of how her own father and mother. "You know, Harry, I think our parents would have been good friends," she said without thinking.  
  
There was a pause and she saw him swallow hard. For a moment, she thought he was about to say something, but instead he shrugged again before taking the picture away from her and reaching for the next.  
  
It was in that moment of sadness and with an overwhelming sense of exhaustion that Ginny's mind lingered on the prospect of their parents getting to know one another and something very strange happened.  
  
She started to laugh.  
  
At first, mildly horrified by the inappropriateness of her behavior, she tried to put a hand over her mouth to smother her giggles. Unfortunately, by the time he'd got halfway through the explanation of the next photo, she was shaking so hard, he noticed. Stopping, he simply stared at her.  
  
"I-I'm sorry, Harry.it's not.it's just that I've got this scenario in my head that you wouldn't believe.."  
  
The stony expression on his face softened somewhat, but he still didn't respond.  
  
"I'm just thinking," she managed through gasps for breath, "of how much trouble our fathers would have got themselves into. Can you imagine?" And with that, she dissolved into peals of laughter.  
  
At length, Harry started to chuckle a bit as well but she reckoned it was simply in response to her inability to control herself.  
  
With much difficulty, she recomposed her features. "What-what with my father, and his tendency to enchant Muggle objects." Unable to stave off the inevitable, she started giggling again. ".and your father's tendency to play pranks."  
  
Comprehension dawned.  
  
"Mayhem," Harry whispered, his eyes widening slightly. "Sheer mayhem."  
  
"Our mothers would have been beside themselves." Another thought occurred to her, "Imagine having the Dursleys over for tea!"  
  
At this point, Harry started laughing with abandon. "Yes! Flying toasters, talking toilets-even the twins couldn't compete!"  
  
"Oh, the twins would HATE it," Ginny burst out, before lowering her voice as though she were about to share something truly scandalous.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because they'd have to worry about both our mums catching them in the act. They'd have no hope!"  
  
"What makes you think my mum would do anything to stop them?"  
  
"Oh, she looks prim and proper, Harry, but I can tell-she had some steel to her."  
  
"And how do you know so much about my mother?"  
  
Ginny felt a pang in her heart at the question, and almost dropped the subject entirely, but something about the kind look on his face encouraged her.  
  
"See this?" she asked, pointing at her red locks. "Only a fool meddles with this. Never forget that." She picked up the photograph they had been looking at before from where it lay between them and beckoned Harry closer. "Don't believe me? Just watch."  
  
They sat in silence for a few moments watching Harry's parents sitting outside with Sirius and Professor Lupin in relative tranquility.  
  
"Wait for it, wait for it." Ginny muttered. Sure enough, Sirius suddenly sprayed Lily with water and James started laughing. Lily leapt up. "Stupefy!" Ginny exclaimed in a high pitched voice almost a perfect replicate of her mother's just as Lily drew out her wand and started shouting at Sirius and James. "Fred and George Weasley, you come back here!"  
  
Harry burst out laughing again and leaned forward, one hand braced against the floor.  
  
Ginny paused to watch Lily chase the two boys around the picture. When she turned about face again, her tiny mouth moving in silent indignation, Ginny again supplied the words. "I mean it! That's the last prank you two will ever pull! The two of you will rue the day you ever picked up a wand!"  
  
"That's brilliant, Ginny." His eyes sparkled behind is glasses, making her heart leap. "You sound exactly like your mum."  
  
"Yes, well, the brilliance is accentuated by the many hours I've endured listening to that speech while my father rushes about trying to put out a fire, or change one of my brothers back to human form." She waved her hand dismissively. "Comes with being a Weasley, you know." She looked at the next picture in his hand and couldn't help letting out an absurdly feminine squeal. "Oh, Harry, let me see that! That's you, isn't it?"  
  
He grimaced but handed her the picture anyway. "Erm, yes. With.with my mum."  
  
Ginny watched as Lily Potter whispered into baby Harry's ear and waved his hand for him while bouncing him around slightly. Baby Harry seemed overjoyed.  
  
"You look adorably rotund," she said finally, glancing up at him.  
  
Harry rolled his eyes slightly. "Well, if that's your cup of tea, then perhaps I should introduce you to my cousin Dudley."  
  
"I said adorably rotund, Harry, not morbidly obese, but thank you." She paused. "You know, you look so much like your mother."  
  
"Really?" he asked.  
  
She nodded, still staring at the picture.  
  
"Most people tell me I look like my father."  
  
Her brows knit in contemplation, "Well, with the hair and the build, naturally yes, I'd agree. But your nose and your eyes, and even a bit around your mouth-that's your mother, Harry."  
  
He took hold of the corner of the picture and tilted it slightly towards him for a better look. "I suppose you're right," he said at length. He glanced at her. "You have a good eye for that."  
  
"I notice these sorts of things," she shrugged. "I like children." He smirked and she made a face. "Not to have as my own, but to play with. For now, at least."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well, they tend to have interesting things to say."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes." She paused, "I've already decided I'm going to corrupt Neville's children." Her eyes gleamed with maniac pleasure. "Listen here, children, next time you see Daddy, offer him a piece of chocolate from Auntie Ginny and if he won't let you play outside before you've finished your homework, offer him the one with the green wrapper from Uncle Fred and Uncle George."  
  
Harry grinned. "And what has Neville ever done to you?"  
  
"Oh, please. Secretly, he'd love it."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Of course. Neville adores intrigue in small doses."  
  
"I'll be sure to tell him you said that."  
  
Ginny sniffed. "As if you don't plan on spoiling Ron's children."  
  
Harry grimaced. "I can't think of Ron having children."  
  
She started to giggle. "Whenever I think of Ron with children, all I see is this huge, garish sea of orange and red."  
  
He sent her a quizzical look.  
  
"I just picture this long row of little people dressed in Chudley Cannon's jerseys."  
  
At this, Harry started chuckling. "Priceless!" He pulled a serious face. "Come, come now, Chudley junior, let Chudley the second have his toy back."  
  
"There can't be a Chudley junior," Ginny said laughing, "unless Ron changes his name to Chudley."  
  
"Oh, he'd manage it somehow," Harry said gravely.  
  
"I think he'd name his children Bludger, Quaffle, and Snitch."  
  
"No, that would be my children," Harry said with a grin and Ginny's heart thudded slightly. As though realizing what he'd just said, he reddened and looked away.  
  
The jocular mood had hit an obvious bump.  
  
As fortune would have it, in her search for a change of subject, Ginny glanced down at the next picture in the stack and let out a shriek. "Merlin have mercy, is that Professor Lupin?!"  
  
The grin returned and he nodded. "Yes, it is."  
  
Ginny picked up the picture and stared at it, one hand partially covering her mouth in a gesture of awe. "I think those trousers speak for themselves, but WHAT in Merlin's name is that THING on his face?"  
  
"It appears to be a moustache."  
  
"What were you thinking?!" Ginny exclaimed to picture Lupin. Sadly, he was too busy self-consciously stroking and grooming the shock of hair on his upper lip to pay any attention to her. "And he won't stop fussing with it!" She dissolved into giggles. "Harry, when was this taken?"  
  
Smiling, he seized her wrist and caused her turn the picture over. On the back 'fifth year' was written in dark blue ink.  
  
"So he was my age," she said in wonder. "And clearly blind." Harry started snickering again and she looked at him. "You know, you should send this to Tonks. But you ought to warn her first, because honestly, I think she'd take one look at this and pop something."  
  
"I can't." Harry shook his head. "Professor Lupin would never speak to me again."  
  
"True," Ginny said thoughtfully, "but if you did, you would be my hero." The comment was meant as a joke, but something about the way his eyes darkened and flickered to her lips made her blush at the implications of it.  
  
She shifted uncomfortably during the period of silence that followed. It couldn't have lasted more than a few seconds, but the stillness was almost excruciating.  
  
Finally, his eyes met her own again, and he nodded. "In that case, I'll consider it."  
  
Smiling a bit awkwardly, she reached for the next picture in the stack, but his hand closed around hers, stopping it. She looked up at him, but he continued staring at the floor. So, with little other choice, she waited. At length, the weight of his hand trapping her own was beginning to cause an almost uncomfortable heat to radiate through her body.  
  
"I thought this would be more difficult than it is," he said slowly before looking up at her. "Thank you."  
  
As usual, she felt exceedingly out of sorts under that green gaze, but managed to shrug lightly and send him what she hoped was an encouraging look. "It's nothing, Harry."  
  
"No." He said a bit more forcefully. "I'm terrible at this. I know I am."  
  
"Terrible at what?" she asked gently.  
  
He sighed and removed his hand from hers before reaching up and taking off his glasses. Rubbing his face vigorously, he ran his hands through his dark hair until it stuck up in odd angled peaks, after which he leaned back against the wall and looked at her. "Finding the words," he said finally.  
  
"You were doing quite a job of it a few minutes ago."  
  
"Yes, but not when it matters."  
  
There was a long period of silence, then. Ginny ached for him but couldn't bring herself to say anything.  
  
"You never asked me," he said all of a sudden. "You know.when-when I told you.during Christmas, you never asked me why-"  
  
There was such raw pain in his voice when he spoke that she placed her hand on his chest, silencing him. "I know. I know I never asked." She paused to collect her thoughts. "It wasn't that I didn't care or that I didn't want to know, but.at the time.it just didn't seem like the right question." She wanted to let him know that even now, it didn't seem like the right question, but then realized that perhaps, when it came to Harry, she had trouble finding the proper words as well.  
  
He sighed before leaning back against the wall again. "There's a lot going on."  
  
She nodded and, noting the miserable look on his face, repositioned herself to sit next to him. "There always is, Harry. There always is."  
  
They sat there in companionable silence for several minutes until, without any preamble and without otherwise moving, he reached over and slid his fingers through her own. For some reason, the gesture caused her eyes to prickle with tears. Turning her head away, she brushed angrily at them with the sleeve of her robes.  
  
"You're a good friend, Ginny," he said finally, still gazing at the opposite wall and therefore was unable to see her face momentarily crumble.  
  
"So are you," she whispered and her voice sounded harsher than it needed to be in the pale milky light of the winter dusk. He turned to her then, and she squeezed his hand affably before sending him a brave smile. "So, are you up for the next picture?"  
  
He nodded.  
  
Disentangling herself from his grasp, she reached for it.  
  
Harry cleared his throat. "So, this one is out near Hagrid's hut, I think. Looks like some sort of picnic because I reckon half the school is out there, but there's my mum and dad, and Professor Lupin and if you wait a bit, Professor McGonagall comes in and- Ginny, what's wrong?"  
  
Her lips parted slightly in shock, Ginny shook her head when she felt him touch her.  
  
"Have you seen something?"  
  
"Harry," she said, her voice quivering with an emotion she couldn't define, "under the tree on the left.it's...Harry, I think those are Neville's parents."  
  
"Lumos," he said, and light burst from the tip of his wand. He took the picture from her and held it up. "Merlin, you're right. Crikey, I-I..I never even realized it before."  
  
Pulling her knees up to her chest she watched him squinting at the photo and searched her mind for how to best phrase what she wanted to say. Harry had shown her these pictures in confidence and she knew it was terrible to ask him to share them with others, but she also knew that Neville didn't have that many keepsakes of his parents and this would mean the world to him.  
  
She was just about to make her request when he suddenly stood up and started to gather the rest of the photos off of the ground. "Do you know where he is? Neville, I mean."  
  
She blinked at him, momentarily thrown, before nodding. "Last I saw him, he was in the Common Room doing some reading with Dean."  
  
"Good. I think I should show this to him and maybe.uhm.maybe find Colin and see if he'd make us a copy."  
  
Ginny felt a wave of gratitude crash through her as she quickly scrambled to her feet. "Oh, Harry, thank you so much. Neville will be so pleased because he.well, he doesn't have anything like this." Harry nodded and started out of the room. Ginny quickly followed him, trying to keep up with his suddenly long, rapid strides towards Gryffindor Tower. "A-after his parents were attacked, they lost almost everything. His gran mostly has pictures of his parents after they left Hogwarts, but not actually during." Realizing she was needlessly babbling and he had stopped responding, she lapsed into silence for the remainder of their journey.  
  
When they entered the Common Room and Harry approached Neville with the photo, she hung back. The moment felt too personal to intrude on, but when she saw Neville's face change from curiosity to shock to something that mingled painfully close to grief, she felt herself take a step towards him.  
  
She had barely started over when he abruptly stood, exchanged a few words with Harry and strode out the portrait hole, still clutching the picture.  
  
Ginny stared after him, contemplating whether or not she should follow, when she felt Harry come to stand beside her. Something about the pensive look in his eyes cautioned her against asking what had transpired so she simply forced a smile.  
  
"Care for some dinner?" he asked.  
  
She averted her gaze out the window for a few seconds before shaking her head, "Normally yes, but I think I should go upstairs and spend some time with Maeven." Growing more accustomed to Hogwarts, her Familiar had been disappearing every now and then to explore the castle. In the beginning, Ginny had been able to close her eyes and temporarily merge with Maeven to see the various passageways and rooms from the bird's perspective. Dizzying at first, Ginny gradually grew accustomed to that swooping, ever-changing view of the world. However, it had been a while since she'd spent much time with her phoenix and Ginny was starting to feel oddly disconnected. In addition, she felt strangely melancholy and was suddenly not in the mood for any human companionship.  
  
He nodded at her, slipping his hands into his pockets and taking a step back.  
  
"See you later, Harry," she murmured as she walked past him and wasn't surprised when he didn't respond.  
  
**  
  
Neville never mentioned the photo to Ginny and she never asked him about it.  
  
Harry hadn't invited her to look at the rest of the pictures with him, either. In fact, he hadn't mentioned them at all since that afternoon nearly a week ago. In retrospect, she wasn't surprised, as she'd spent most of her time laughing over his dead parents-something she still felt mildly embarrassed about.  
  
She was practicing a bit of wandless magic in her room under Maeven's watchful eye when she suddenly felt someone tugging at the bottom of her robes. Looking down, she was a bit startled to find Winky staring balefully up at her.  
  
"Excusing your pardon, miss, but you's presence is been requested in the Room of Requirement."  
  
Ginny frowned slightly. "By who?"  
  
"Professor Lupin, miss."  
  
This concerned her even more but she simply nodded at the house elf. "Very well. Thank you."  
  
Winky blinked at her and shuffled away.  
  
Maeven alighted on her perch and cocked her head at Ginny, indicating she planned on staying in the room unless Ginny wanted otherwise.  
  
"No, that's fine, I'll go alone." Ginny responded aloud. The spoken words were not what the phoenix understood, but Ginny had learned from Professor Dumbledore that pronouncing things was often the quickest and easiest way to communicate with Familiars because she naturally formed the words in her mind before saying them.  
  
Bidding her phoenix farewell, she started out of her dormitory room, pausing only to retrieve her wand. In the time it took Ginny to get from Gryffindor Tower to the Room of Requirement, her curiosity and imagination was working overtime. There was something vaguely ominous about being summoned via House-Elf to the DA Room and Ginny hoped something terrible hadn't happened. She reckoned that if it had been truly awful, she would have been summoned by Professor McGonagall, as she had been that night her father was bitten by one of Voldemort's snakes.  
  
Pausing in front of the room and not knowing what else to do, she knocked tentatively on the door.  
  
Much to her shock, it instantaneously swung open and she found herself staring into the eyes of what appeared to be a younger version of Professor Lupin.  
  
"Hello." He stuck out his hand and Ginny shook it in disbelief. "My name is Remus Lupin and I'm in DESPERATE need of a comb."  
  
Looking over his shoulder, Ginny saw the real Remus Lupin standing beside a terribly amused looking Harry Potter.  
  
"Tonks?" Ginny choked with laughter.  
  
Ushering Ginny inside, young Lupin shut the door behind her.  
  
"I understand I have you to thank for this," Lupin said, gesturing at the younger version of himself who was now all but prancing around the Room of Requirement.  
  
"Come, come now, Remus." Young Lupin stopped moving. "Let us give credit where credit is due. I think it's safe to say we have YOU to thank for this."  
  
"I'm sorry, Professor," Ginny said automatically.  
  
"Nothing to apologize for, Gin," young Lupin interjected. "I don't know what he's on about. There's no reason to be embarrassed because moustaches are very useful things."  
  
Lupin groaned softly but was dutifully ignored.  
  
"Not only do they keep one's lip snug and warm in winter, but nothing quite marks manhood like the ability to grow hair on one's face." He struck an overly debonair pose. "Quite spiffing, actually."  
  
"Tonks, you have no idea how disturbing that is," Lupin said, gazing at her mournfully from across the room.  
  
"Yes, well you might have thought of that before you grew it."  
  
Ginny made the mistake of looking at Harry at that point and had to bite down hard on her lip to prevent the laughter that bubbled dangerously to the surface.  
  
"A comb! A comb, my kingdom for a comb!" young Lupin shouted loudly, twirling in a circle with his arms spread wide. "It's called the Room of bloody Requirement and I've required a comb for the past half hour. WHERE is it?"  
  
"You know, Harry," Lupin said dryly, "the next time you're feeling nostalgic perhaps you can do so in private. At least when it comes to the photos taken during my fifth year." He paused. "And sixth, come to think of it."  
  
Ginny silently picked up the silver comb that had appeared on a desk next to her and handed it to Tonks.  
  
"FINALLY." With a great show of relief, young Lupin started vigorously combing his moustache and smoothing it. "Tell me something, Remus," he said, looking down his nose and wiggling his upper lip as though trying to get a good look at it.  
  
Lupin sighed. "Yes?"  
  
"Did you name it?"  
  
Giving up the last vestiges of their dignity, Harry burst out laughing and Ginny clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles.  
  
"Tonks-" Lupin began in an exasperated voice.  
  
"No, really, I'm entirely serious. I mean, look at the picture." He picked up a photo from where it had been lying on a desk in front of Harry and thrust it under Lupin's nose. "It's clear that you took care of it. Treated it well. Most likely spoke to it at night to encourage its growth. One only needs to witness the fullness and pride in that moustache. Look at that saucy little devil, glistening in the sun."  
  
"Are you quite done?" Lupin said, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Ah, such an optimist. But tell me, what made you finally decide to get rid of it?"  
  
There was a pause.  
  
"Harry's mother threatened to hex me with a dehairing charm if I didn't. I would've gone entirely bald for six months if she had."  
  
"Yet another reason why Lily Potter was a brilliant woman," young Lupin said, patting Harry on the shoulder.  
  
"Just wait, Potter, until marks come out," Lupin muttered under his breath.  
  
"Oh, don't mind him, Harry," young Lupin cut in. "He's just upset about our friend here because, secretly, he misses it." He pointed to the moustache. "Fear not, Remus, for though it may be gone, it is not forgotten. In fact, I have it on excellent authority that it will be remembered again on Tuesday at the next Order meeting."  
  
"You know," Lupin said, "It isn't as though there aren't rather absurd pictures of you floating around, Nymphadora."  
  
"Entirely true," Tonks replied, transforming back into her own form, "but as you so astutely love to point out, I look absurd on purpose. You have no such excuse."  
  
Lupin sighed and Tonks grinned. "Ginny, thank you for what has been the most fun I've had since-" the Auror paused as though searching her mind, "- well, come to think of it, ever since that pumpkin incident with Moody, which sadly I am forbidden to speak of, but suffice it to say, it was a joy."  
  
Lupin looked wistful for a moment. "Ah, the pumpkin," he said. "I remember the pumpkin." The teenagers exchanged quizzical looks, causing him to snap back to attention, "Right. In any event, as joyful as this experience has been, I'm going to have to ask you all to leave now, as I am expecting a student."  
  
"You sure she wouldn't rather have help from the OTHER Remus Lupin?" Tonks asked.  
  
"No," he responded firmly.  
  
"Spoilsport," she muttered, but started for the door anyway. Still somewhat confused, Ginny followed suit.  
  
"Come by at seven tonight, Harry," Lupin called. "Nice to see you, Ginny."  
  
"Erm, thank you.sorry again, Professor."  
  
"Don't apologize," Tonks hissed, as they exited the room. Once the door was shut behind the trio, Tonks let out a loud laugh. "Oh, he pretends to hate it, but I know him-he secretly loves the attention-finds it terribly amusing. Speaking of which, got any more pictures, Harry?" Tonks fluttered her lashes at him and he laughed.  
  
"None quite so good, but I'll take a look."  
  
"There's a dear," she said breezily. "Well, kids, I'm off. Meeting with Moody. See you around."  
  
Waving goodbye, Harry and Ginny started back to the Tower together.  
  
"Oh, that was cruel," she said with a smile. "I hope Tonks doesn't tease him too harshly."  
  
Harry grinned, "Well, it WAS your idea to show the picture to her."  
  
"Yes, but I thought you said you weren't going to."  
  
There was a pause and when he spoken again, she thought his voice sounded slightly rougher than it had before, "Well, you made me an offer and I decided to take you up on it."  
  
She smiled to herself but didn't respond.  
  
"So, I imagine that means now I'm your hero."  
  
"I imagine you are," she said softly.  
  
"So, does this mean you treat me differently now?"  
  
"Are you implying I should be doing your wash and shining your shoes and the like?"  
  
He grinned, "Something like that."  
  
"Well," she said thoughtfully, "if you want, I could always revive the fanclub. I believe Moaning Myrtle really misses the weekly newsletter." Catching the clearly horrified look on his face, Ginny chuckled. "Oh sweet Merlin, Harry, I'm joking."  
  
He heaved a sigh of relief. "You really shouldn't say things like that, Gin. It scares me."  
  
"Hm," she said seriously, "that's very heroic of you."  
  
"Patience, Miss Weasley," he responded with a smile, "This hero thing takes some getting used to, although, at this rate I reckon I won't be able to hold the position for very long, eh?"  
  
And in the end, she simply laughed and shook her head, because despite it all, Ginny didn't have the heart to tell him that he was wrong. 


	15. Unspoken

_A/N: Thank you to my betas Anne and Marian and thank you to everyone still hanging in there. I read every single email and review I received and I can't tell you how grateful I am to you all. Thanks to everyone who kept dropping me a line, keeping in touch, and asking gently about the fic. It meant a lot to me._

_In related news, rest assured that Part 16 will not take six months to come out, I swear. (This is meant to imply it will be coming out sooner-not later.)_

Chapter 15: Unspoken

Draco Malfoy was, Ginny realized, the biggest waste of a pretty face she had ever met in her life. There was more than one girl at Hogwarts who'd commented on the Slytherin's graceful, sweeping good looks, but very few outside of his House expressed any interest, given his outrageously rude and arrogant behavior.

He was also the unfortunate cause of her current predicament, which had her sitting by herself in the Transfiguration classroom and waiting for Professor McGonagall to come back and mete out punishment.

To a certain extent, Ginny knew she'd overreacted, but she was a far, far cry from any feelings of remorse. She, Harry and Neville had come across Malfoy intimidating a pair of first year Hufflepuffs for what appeared to be sport. This, naturally, came as no surprise. What was surprising, however, was that Neville had been the first to tell him to stop. Even Malfoy had appeared a tad thrown to see Neville asserting himself. So much so, in fact, that he missed seeing the first years beat a hasty retreat during Neville's brief intervention. Angered by his loss of victims, Malfoy had started throwing insults at her group even as they were already walking away from him.

The three teens were doing a remarkably good job of ignoring him until Malfoy said something particularly vicious about Neville's parents and the next thing Ginny knew, her wand was pointed at Malfoy's head, perhaps the largest bat bogeys in the history of Hogwarts were beating wildly at his face, and Professor Snape –who, in his impeccable sense of timing happened to be turning a corner just as Ginny cast her curse - was trying to corner a shrieking Malfoy to remove the hex. It took two tries before the Slytherin was returned to his normal, albeit haggard-looking self.

The only thing that saved Ginny from a dark fate indeed was the fact that Professor McGonagall had arrived on the scene at roughly the same time as Professor Snape and was standing behind the teens during the fiasco. It was with no small sense of relief that Ginny allowed herself to be taken into the custody of her head of house.

Although, given the dead silence that had weighed heavily on the walk to the Transfiguration classroom and the several minutes of waiting, Ginny wasn't quite sure that she wouldn't rather be with Snape in detention. While she expected Snape to think little of her (or at least pretend to), McGonagall's opinion mattered, and Ginny was starting to feel the slightest stirrings shame.

It was then that the door opened and shut abruptly, and Ginny stiffened in her seat, bracing herself for what was to come.

"I do not need to tell you," McGonagall said, her voice grim, "that what I witnessed today coming from you was behavior completely unbecoming of a Gryffindor."

Ginny stared silently at her head of house.

"I'm deeply disappointed, Miss Weasley, and grieved to see one of my top pupils setting that sort of an example in the corridor. I suspect you know better."

The feeling of shame intensified and she hung her head slightly. "I'm sorry, Professor."

"Twenty points from Gryffindor," McGonagall said sharply. "And Professor Snape is demanding an apology to Mr. Malfoy."

Anger flared unexpectedly and Ginny's gaze shot to her teacher. "Professor-"

McGonagall's eyes narrowed. "You'll do it, Miss Weasley, or suffer a week's worth of detention."

There was a long pause before Ginny finally managed to respond.

"What was that?" McGonagall asked, leaning forward. 

"I said, Miss, that I'd rather take the detention."

At this, McGonagall pursed her lips in disapproval. "I see."

There was nearly a minute of silence before her professor spoke again. "You know, Miss Weasley, you're one of the most talented Charms students I've come across. It would a pity to see such talent wasted on that temper of yours."

"Thank you, Professor. I-I'm sorry, Professor." Ginny sighed, "But I can't apologize to Malfoy. You didn't hear what he said about Neville's parents!"

At this, McGonagall's gaze softened somewhat, "Quite to the contrary, I heard exactly what Mr. Malfoy said about Mr. Longbottom's parents." She raised an eyebrow. "I also know that you don't feel much remorse for what you did because, let us both be honest, Mr. Malfoy had it coming."

Ginny stared at the older woman in disbelief.

"But that, Miss Weasley, is hardly the point. Drawing your wand over the slightest insult is not the proper way to respond to such things and, furthermore, I'd also like to point out that your haste deprived Mr. Longbottom of the well-deserved satisfaction of defending his parents by himself."

This was an interesting point. And one she hadn't considered. Ginny frowned somewhat.

"You know, Miss Weasley, in some ways you remind me of a former student of mine. She didn't have the good fortune of growing up in as large a family as yours so she was considerably less, shall we say, spirited than you are. However, she was always willing to draw her wand on behalf of those who could not defend themselves. That's a good quality to have, but one which must be exercised with some mind to restraint."

Not quite sure what else to do, Ginny managed to nod deferentially and genuinely felt a little more sorry than she had before.

McGonagall appeared submerged deep in thought for a few moments, but then quickly retrained her gaze on the redhead. "Now that we've got that business aside, Miss Weasley, I wonder if you would be willing to assist me in a bit of an experiment related to the Familiars class."

Somewhat surprised by this unexpected turn of events, Ginny took a moment before responding to the affirmative.

"You see, Professor Lupin and I have decided to conduct what might be considered a rather informal challenge between a member of the Familiars class and a member of the DA class. We'd like to see how one fares against the other."

"A duel?" Ginny asked.

McGonagall paused. "Yes, one might call it that." Taking Ginny's stunned silence for trepidation, she quickly continued. "You'd be paired against someone of comparable skill, naturally."

Ginny smiled slightly, warming to the idea.

"We'll reconvene tomorrow afternoon before lunch," McGonagall continued. "You can invite a guest to come along if you'd like, but we'd like to keep spectators to a minimum."

Ginny nodded in response, mentally making a note to ask Neville. "Professor, are you trying to decide whether or not to continue the class for next year?" she asked, suddenly worried about her role as representative, especially given what little time she had to prepare. "I think you absolutely should, Professor, no matter what happens at the duel."

McGonagall nodded briskly, "Indeed, I agree, Miss Weasley. In a way, this is about revising next year's Familiars curriculum, so you're right in that respect. But, you see, I've been advocating for a Familiars class for a very long time and I'm as eager as you are to see our little pilot program expanded."

"Why haven't we had one before?"

McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "Working with Familiars is rather complicated and not entirely safe, Miss Weasley. Furthermore, not all students are equipped to handle a Familiar. That's why, outside this program, the training is specialized and limited to Aurors. However, as I'm sure you've already noticed, there are immense benefits to the training. It sharpens and refines one's sense of magic. The ability to bond and communicate with a sentient being is very useful because it affords access to magic humans cannot normally reach by themselves." McGonagall turned slightly then, and Ginny could see a strange sadness reflected in the older woman's eyes. "But perhaps most importantly, Miss Weasley, Familiars can afford an incredible degree of protection."

Dumbledore had discussed that with her once, in fact. He had even shared a simple shielding spell she could teach Maeven. Ginny reckoned that even Susan's mouse could be trained to have unexpected abilities.

"This class is something very…personal to me." McGonagall continued. "Those of you who are in it were chosen for your potential and because we knew your parents would be receptive to the idea of your working with Familiars. And now, given the character of the time we live in, I have great hopes that more parents will be willing to allow their children to benefit from it. We have already lost too many young people to this war."

Ginny nodded and watched silently as McGonagall turned around and walked to one of the classroom windows, a sure sign that the discussion was over. Preparing to rise and return to Gryffindor Tower, Ginny was rather surprised when McGonagall failed to dismiss her. Instead, her head of house simply stood at the window and stared out of it, an uncharacteristically distant expression on her face.

"You see, Miss Weasley, the first thing we're told, as educators, is never to play favorites." McGonagall turned and met Ginny's gaze suddenly, her eyes bright with memory. "And I can assure you, that I never ever did." She looked away again. "But that does not mean that I didn't have any."

Scarcely certain of what to say, Ginny stared at her professor in silence.

"Lily Evans, Harry's mother, was one of those favorites," McGonagall continued. "She showed enormous potential from the moment she arrived and, unlike many Muggle-borns who get bogged down by the technicalities, magic always came very naturally to her. She had incredible control at a very young age. At the end of her sixth year I told her that she should come back to Hogwarts and teach. Even after she'd married James and had young Harry, we made plans for her to come settle here." McGonagall glanced back at Ginny again. "We haven't had any young professors with families here at Hogwarts since well before the war, but Hogwarts can be a wonderful environment in which to raise a child. I believe that's what Harry's mother wanted for him." McGonagall shook her head then, as though trying to dislodge a particularly painful memory, "Her…passing…was extremely difficult. On all of us."

Ginny closed her eyes against the melancholy that followed her professor's words. It was difficult to comprehend how many lives one person's death could touch and she was surprised she'd never thought of how McGonagall or Dumbledore must have reacted to what happened to James and Lily Potter. She wasn't sure Harry even knew that McGonagall had taught his mother. She wondered, briefly, if any of her teachers would have mourned her own passing had she died that night at the Ministry. Perhaps Professor Flitwick, as he was the one professor who was kindest towards her and made the most effort to encourage her academically. She frowned at the rather morbid thought.

"I wonder, sometimes, Miss Weasley, what would have happened if Lily had had the benefit of a Familiar that night. I know your mother shared with you the story of how it was she who shielded Harry from the death curse, but to do it she accessed a great power that no one, save Professor Dumbledore, has ever been able to access again. In doing what she did, she must have known that she would not be able to protect herself." McGonagall suddenly took a deep breath, paused, and stood up a bit straighter. "A Familiar might have changed that," she said simply, before turning to face Ginny.

Unsure of what else to do Ginny, lowered her eyes in response.

McGonagall walked towards the front of the room but continued speaking. "You're very different from Harry's mother, Ginny, but the one thing that remains strikingly similar is your potential. You have talent that I would rather not see wasted on unnecessary quarrels with Slytherins in the corridors." She took a seat at her desk.

"I'm sorry, Professor."

"I trust that this will be a one-time incident."

"Yes, Professor."

McGonagall nodded then, satisfied. "That will be all, Miss Weasley. I expect to see you tomorrow afternoon for our experiment and then again in the evening for detention."

Ginny nodded. "Thank you, Professor." Taking a deep breath, she rose and walked out of the classroom, sparing a glance over her shoulder at McGonagall who suddenly appeared very much absorbed in writing something.

Ginny was careful to shut the door behind her.

In the end, aside from an hour-long discussion of strategy with Maeven, Ginny decided not to go through any formal preparation for the duel.

When she arrived in the DA room, she wasn't altogether surprised at who her opponent was and somewhat regretted not having strategized more.

"I didn't miss anything, did I?" Neville asked, breathless from his ten minute sprint from the Tower. He plopped down on the floor. "Sorry, I'm late, but I was just heading out wh-"

Harry Potter and Hermione Granger shushed him.

"Fear not, Neville." Ginny responded calmly, her eyes never leaving her brother's as they circled each other slowly, wand arms outstretched. "You haven't missed a thing. I'm just about to whip Ron."

"Not bloody likely," Ron responded. His voice sounded irritated, but Ginny could clearly see the mischievous sparkle in his blue eyes.

"Focus!" Remus Lupin shouted sharply from a darkened corner of the room where he stood with Professor McGonagall, and the two redheads sprang to attention.

Rearing back suddenly, Ron shouted, "Expeller-,"

"Refractus!" Ginny cut him off, knocking him back a few steps and almost causing him to lose his wand. "Coahero."

Ron dodged the sticking charm expertly by drop rolling to the left, before training his wand back on Ginny. "Aquium Contendo."

With a shriek, Ginny fell on her rear, struck by a face-full of water. She pursed her lips in anger and narrowed her eyes.

"Well, that certainly didn't take long d-"

"Rictusempra."

Ron's cocky swagger was brought to a rather premature halt when he was suddenly thrown back several feet and lay on his back, howling with laughter.

Ginny, hair sopping wet, stood and smiled smugly at her brother as Maeven alighted on her shoulder from where she'd been hovering above. "You were saying?" she asked.

"Oh, for Merlin's sakes, Miss Weasley, a tickling charm?" Professor McGonagall called sternly. "Do you plan on tickling all of your opponents into submission? Really. I think we can do better than that," she admonished. "Something a bit more appropriate for a fifth-year, please."

Somewhat ashamed, Ginny waved her wand at Ron. "Finite Incantatem"

Ron instantly shot to his feet, and, with his back turned to his teachers, stuck his tongue out at her mockingly.

Ginny sneered, "Furnunculus." It was a rather uncalled-for move on her part, but if McGonagall questioned it, she'd just say it was to put her opponent off guard. Ron grimaced, his face covered in strangely familiar green and purple warts.

"Turbo Truculenter!" he shouted and Ginny's eyes widened as she felt her body helplessly lifting into the air and spinning dangerously close to a stone wall. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw Professor Lupin move to soften her blow, but he was stopped by McGonagall.

"Alterum!" Ginny said sharply, which caused her body to start spinning back in the opposite direction, but the pause in between the shift was just long enough for her to break out of the curse and drop to the ground.

Ron proved ready for such a move. "Motusus Brevis," he yelled, pointing his wand at her feet, and the brief explosion almost knocked Ginny onto her rear yet again, but the helpful shove from behind, thanks to an artfully cast charm by her phoenix, had her landing back on her feet. It also reminded her of the point of the exercise.

Time for a little strategy. The first thing she needed to do was to buy herself some time.

"Confundus," she said, hitting Ron square in the chest with a streak of orange light.

Ron blinked at her and stumbled backwards. "Orchideous!" he shouted, and a purple flower shot out of his wand, smacking Ginny in the forehead, causing her to start laughing. "No… no, wait…" Ron shook his head, fighting to clear the hex.

Ginny stopped giggling long enough to enunciate properly. "Locomotor Mortis!"

"Densaugeo," Ron blurted out, eliciting a gasp from Hermione who reflexively ducked behind Neville's shoulder.

The curses clashed in mid-air, causing a brilliant burst of turquoise light.

"Sorry, Hermione!" Ron called.

"Focus, Mr. Weasley!" McGonagall prompted, cutting off Hermione's response.

Closing her eyes, Ginny took a firm hold of the connection between herself and Maeven.

"Everto Sterno," Ron said, sensing a moment of vulnerability.

A new curse. And one Ginny didn't intend to acquaint herself with. "Diffindo!" She shouted, and, with a swish of her wand, split the ball of pale blue light heading in her direction in two, causing them to pass by her on either side. Ginny heard Ron sigh in frustration, but then he gasped when the two balls seemed to bounce off of an invisible shield and come hurtling back towards him. He barely managed to dodge the first, and the second singed the bottom of his robes. Maeven, who had cast the Refractum half of the spell from her position in the air, hovered protectively. Ginny was proud to sense only a keen alertness from the bird, absent of any triumph or fear. There was a time for that later on. "Illuminous Protego," Ginny said, causing two warm beams of light to swirl around her as she advanced on Ron's crouched position.

"Petrificus totalus!" Ron barked, and the curse hit one band of light, extinguishing it. "Expellariamus!"

Ginny's barely managed to get out a tripping hex before she felt Ron's curse strike through her shield and cause her wand to go flying out of her hand. The red sparks that issued from the piece of wood missed him altogether and Ginny had no choice but to duck at the barrage of curses now issuing from her brother's lips as he advanced on her. Maeven had flown off instantly to retrieve her lost weapon, but Ginny was too busy trying to stay out of Ron's path to keep her concentration on the bird.

After a few lucky dodges, her brother's jelly leg jinx struck her just as she tried to leap out of the way. Ginny went down in a flash, her legs suddenly wobbly and uncontrollable.

Gasping for breath she found herself looking up the business end of his wand.

"Yield?" he asked, smirking at her.

In the middle of the litany of rather shameful language that flooded Ginny's brain, she felt something strange. Almost like a twinge. No…it was closer to a buzzing, scratching sort of feeling that was calling her scattered attention together. Through the mist of fear and frustration that clouded her mind, Ginny thought she saw something.

No, she did not yield, she thought, gazing up at her brother. She felt the twinge grow stronger and narrowed her eyes, trying to hone in on its source. If she could just draw it closer...Whatever it was, it was strong…if she could touch the power, it was just within her reach...

She felt the tendrils of thought meet and merge with the power, sizzling brightly. She strained to sink farther in.

_Focus. Focus..._

"Stupefy!" Ron said, causing a wave of energy to hit Ginny square in the face.

And then the world went black.

When she came to several seconds later, she was a bit surprised to hear the end of what sounded like a reprimand from Professor Lupin.

"...almost had you, you know. If she'd just had two more seconds, she would've done you in. That was luck, Ron, that saved you."

"Excellent instincts, Miss Weasley."

Ginny squinted up into the wizened visage of Professor McGonagall who had come to stand over her and was startled when a hand suddenly appeared in her line of vision. Grasping it, she was hauled to her feet by Professor Lupin.

"Good job there, Ginny. Good effort. He might've bested you this round, but you two are actually fairly evenly matched," Lupin said.

"But I disarmed her!" Ron broke in. "How was that luck?"

McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "That was skill, but you should never wait so long to subdue an opponent-even if it is your sister."

"But she didn't have her wand," Ron insisted, "it's not like she could've done anything."

"And therein lies the luck factor, Ron," Lupin said with a rather cryptic smile. "Ginny, if you had had your wand, would you have cast Impedimenta?"

Ginny's mouth fell open, "Why...y-yes. I would've."

"Fascinating," Lupin responded mildly.

"But Ron's right, I mean, she couldn't have done anything once she'd lost her wand." Neville said, walking up to the group, flanked by Harry and Hermione.

McGonagall nodded. "Partly true, Mr. Longbottom, but not quite."

It was a rather disturbing moment when Hermione's hand suddenly shot up vigorously from behind and it took the dark-haired witch a few moments to realize that everyone was simply staring at her. The hand came down slowly.

"Yes, Miss Granger?" McGonagall said, a bemused expression flitting around her eyes.

"Wandless magic, Professor," Hermione stated matter-of-factly. "Could Ginny have cast Impedimenta without using a wand?"

"My dear," McGonagall said, "if Miss Weasley had been able to cast Impedimenta wandless, I can assure you she'd be taking over as headmistress of Hogwarts by tomorrow afternoon. I should think not."

"Ginny wasn't disarmed," Harry said thoughtfully, causing the other two teens to turn around.

"What? You're packing a double?!" Ron looked at his sister, outraged. "That's cheating!"

Ginny bristled. "Of course not! Where on earth would I get hold of two wands, Ron?"

"And how was she not disarmed, Harry?" Lupin asked, ignoring the quarreling siblings.

"Maeven had her wand," he said, in that same thoughtful tone of voice, his eyes still glued to the bird. "She can still access her wand even though she isn't holding it."

Ron looked up at the bird, who was still holding said object in its talons. Ginny watched Maeven do her best impression of a menacing look and grinned.

"How did you figure that?" Neville asked.

"The wand was glowing right at the end," Harry said. "When Ron had Ginny on the ground, Maeven was overhead and the wand was glowing until Ron used Stupefy and then it stopped."   
  
"She might've struck you dumb from above and you wouldn't have seen it coming," said Lupin.

Seeing her brother's confidence falter, Ginny quickly stepped in. "But you won anyway because I don't know half as many curses as you do, Ron. If you'd had a Familiar, you would've beaten the stuffing out of me right from the start."

Ron looked about to protest, but Hermione cut him off. "You know, Ginny, you're right," she said, her face flushed with excitement. "That's a brilliant idea. Combining curricula...it'd make students unstoppable."

"Hmm, yes, quite a fine idea," Lupin responded dryly, casting a humorous glance in McGonagall's direction. "Glad it's catching on."

"Is that what this was about, Professor? To see if we could combine the two courses into one?" Neville asked.

Lupin nodded slowly. "In a sense. It'd be difficult to offer such a course as a part of the general curriculum. We'd have to cut the ranks of the DA by quite a bit if we just combined the two courses. Not everyone is well suited to dealing with Familiars, you see. However, Professor McGonagall and I thought it might be worth it to incorporate DA training into a broader Familiars course. It's quite one thing to discuss merging syllabi, and quite another to see the...well, shall we say, the fruits of our labor, in action." He put a comforting hand on Ron's shoulder. "Good show, Ron. We've only practiced Everto Sterno once and that was a fine use of it."

Ron beamed and exchanged a sly look with Hermione.

"You HELPED him?" Ginny asked in mock-outrage.

"Only in the beginning….to train and whatnot." Hermione's admission was greeted with silence. "Well, I didn't know he was going to be fighting YOU."

"Yes, Gin, and that would've made a world of difference," Neville said, in a voice only Ginny recognized as sarcasm.

It was enough to see Hermione mistake the comment for support and nod authoritatively to make Ginny smile again.

"Hey, Hermione," Ron called.

As the girl in question made her way over, Ginny turned to see her brother stooping to pick something up. She sighed and looked at Neville. "If he gives her that flower he shot out of his wand and then trampled all over, and I bloody well might gag."

Neville grinned. "Then you might not want to look." Sure enough, Ron was presenting the somewhat beaten blossom to Hermione who managed to look simultaneously embarrassed and touched.

"Feeling jealous?" Harry piped up. "Orchideous." A purple flower shot out of his wand. He stomped on it once, picked it up and handed the crushed bloom to Ginny. "Here."

At this, Neville started laughing so hard that Ron and Hermione looked over and Ginny hastily hid the duplicate flower from view, throwing Harry a wicked look over her shoulder. She was a bit surprised to see Maeven fluttering beside him.

Ginny beckoned to the phoenix, but it took the bird a long moment to comply. She didn't miss how, despite his easy smile, Harry's eyes seemed to follow Maeven. A questioning glance in his direction, however, drew little response.

He had been quieter lately. It had started two weeks ago - ever since Dumbledore cancelled all remaining scheduled trips to Hogsmeade and the prefects were suddenly kept very busy doing twice as many patrols of the castle as normal. No amount of questioning would get Ron or Hermione to budge as to what that was all about and Ginny had to wonder if there wasn't some connection. But Harry's silence wasn't the sort of silence that spoke of depression. Instead, it felt more like pensiveness. Ginny reckoned he'd talk to her if and when he needed to, but sometimes she'd catch him in an odd moment like that one and the urge to question him grew stronger.

She was about to turn away when he unexpectedly caught her eye and gave her a slight nod. Not quite sure what to make of it, she smiled at him before Neville drew her attention away to inquire after lunch.

"You know, I just don't understand them," Parvati said, gesturing wildly in the air, in what Ginny considered to be dangerously close to Hermione's face. "Like clockwork, they're all like that."

Hermione managed a sympathetic look, but said nothing. Parvati didn't seem to notice. She had been ranting in a hushed whisper about her recent break-up with Rufus Wilkes for the past ten minutes, effectively trapping Ginny and Hermione in one of the more obscure stacks in the library.

Ginny reckoned that since Parvati had already been through roughly one third of the girls in Gryffindor, it had only been a matter of time before it was their turn. She just wished it'd been in a more public place as Parvati was easily distracted and that might've afforded them some means of escape.

"Honestly, they deserve each other," the Indian girl continued bitterly, referring to the blonde Ravenclaw he had been spotted with recently. "I give her three weeks before she turns him loose." She looked expectantly from Ginny to Hermione and back again before Ginny had the presence of mind to nod somewhat supportively.

Tossing her glossy dark hair over her shoulder, Parvati took that as a cue to keep going. "And I tell you, those Helena Spiffing robes she wears aren't real." She sniffed. "I've seen them up close. They cost her 3 Sickles, if that. Stupid boys."

The one-sided conversation had stopped making much sense several minutes ago, and Hermione's eyes were already wandering curiously over the surrounding books, but Ginny still felt the urge to be polite.

"I mean, I wish I didn't care. You know?" Parvati's eyes sparkled suddenly with a light sheen of unshed tears. "I wish I could just forget about them altogether. Boys in general, I mean."

Ginny felt a pang of sympathy for the other girl. Even with six older brothers her success with boys had been fleeting at best. "I know, it can be awful."

"You know, Ginny," Parvati said seriously. "I really admire you. So self-assured and confident. I wish I could be more like you sometimes."

Ginny's cheeks warmed at the unexpected compliment. "Why thank y-"

"I mean, it's amazing how you can just walk around and not care what people think, you know? Who cares about fashion or beauty? Not Ginny Weasley. You're too good for it, Ginny, and I admire you for that. There's nothing worse than being a slave to your looks." Parvati let out a dramatic sigh.

Her burgeoning sympathy abruptly extinguished, Ginny noted, with mild irritation, that Hermione looked suspiciously close to laughter.

"Well," Ginny managed, "I suppose that what those of us lack in looks we make up for with our sparkling personality and rapier-like wit."

Spotting the heat of Ginny's gaze, Hermione quickly jumped in. "Yes, you know, Parvati, looks aren't everything," she began, diplomatically. "After all, it's the substance of the person that matters as well. Intelligence and character factors in to attractiveness."

Parvati nodded vigorously. "So true. But I must say that I'd rather be a beauty than a brain." She paused. "No offense, Hermione."

Hermione's mouth fell open and it was Ginny's turn to suppress laughter.

Parvati's gaze strayed over Ginny's shoulder and her eyes lit up. "Harry Potter." She said, authoritatively, "You're a boy. Come here."

Ginny turned around partway and spotted him walking up the aisle. The brief look of horror that crossed his face was enough to make her feel a little better. She gladly stepped aside to allow him his own glorious time in Parvati's spotlight.

Hermione made a graceful and silent exit when the Indian girl started grilling him on what part of the female anatomy he noticed first, but Ginny was much too entertained to part ways just yet.

"I think you're lying," Parvati said bluntly.

"I am not." He sounded somewhat offended.

"Neck?! Who on earth says neck?"

Harry cast her an unnerved look. "Well, what do you want me to say?"

"The truth, Potter! All I ask for is the truth!" Parvati responded. "And what about all this tripe about character and intelligence? Admit it, Potter, boys are very visual creatures. A girl has to be pretty first, doesn't she?"

Harry shrugged. His eyes flickered towards Ginny for a moment. "I-I don't know."

Ginny felt a little bit of her good humor diminish at his response.

Parvati smiled triumphantly. "Uh huh. I knew it." Parvati narrowed her eyes at Harry and shook her head. "All the same. The lot of you." She turned her head abruptly and peered through the space between the books. "Is that Katie and Dean?" Without any explanation, she quickly darted down the aisle. "Dean Thomas, come here. I'm taking a poll…"

Harry stared after the retreating girl in confused silence before glancing over at Ginny again. "What was that?"

Ginny shook her head. "No idea." She dutifully pushed away her mild disappointment over his response to Parvati's question and decided she'd rather not think about it. "I wonder where Hermione's run off to?"

"I imagine she's with Ron. I left him on one of the sofas in the back end near the windows."

Ginny nodded. "She was helping me research my Potions paper," she said mildly, "I reckon I should go fetch her now that Parvati's moved on."

Harry nodded and Ginny and threw him a smile. "I'll see you back there, I suppose." She hadn't got more than a few steps before he called her name and she glanced back at him. He said something that she didn't hear at all, despite their close proximity, so she turned back, and, taking one step forward, asked him to repeat himself.

"Well, " Harry said quietly, "I uhm, I said that, you're…uhm….you're beautiful."

She stared at him for a few moments in dead silence and blinked a few times, still not quite able to believe she was hearing him correctly. The words sounded familiar. Like an echo of something he had said to her once before, but that felt like a time and place so far back in her memories that it hardly seemed real.

"Y-you know that, right?" Harry stammered on, awkwardly filling the silence between them. "I-I mean, I wasn't eavesdropping but I heard what you said to Parvati about lacking looks and…and…that was just to shut her up…right? You don't really believe that…right?"

And Ginny flinched slightly because, she realized with rather blinding clarity, she did believe it. She'd never openly dared to consider it, but as much as Ginny truly and genuinely loved herself, it had always been because she trusted and respected the type of person she was on the inside.

Truth be told, physically, she'd always found herself to be rather plain looking.

Certainly, her mother had always told her she was beautiful and even Bill had said it once or twice, but that was to be expected. They were family. And, to be entirely honest, she knew that Harry had said it once, had even admitted being physically attracted to her at first, but Ginny hadn't thought much of it because it wasn't quite the same. Inspiring lust was not quite the same as being beautiful in her mind. Besides, he had said he'd found her attractive during their Wizarding Chess matches so a part of her had always assumed-and rather happily so-that it was her character and intelligence that had ultimately won him over.

But now, now that he was saying what he was saying…well…it made her yearn for something she never thought she would. Ginny knew she didn't need to be beautiful to be happy, or to feel good about herself or even to attract the attention of boys, if Michael Corner and Dean Thomas were any indication.

But this was different, somehow. Suddenly she wanted very badly to be beautiful, if to no one else but Harry. The idea that the sight of her could stop his heart in the same way the sight of him stopped hers was entirely foreign and almost impossible to comprehend.

And, at some point, lost in her own thoughts, she realized that Harry was blathering on.

"…and really lovely hair. Which smells like grass…but it could also be some sort of flower or something. I…uhm…I guess it's your shampoo…or something…"

Ginny stared at him, unable to think of a single thing to say.

He continued, looking thoroughly embarrassed and stricken, "And your freckles go very nicely with your face…"

She was starting to feel uncomfortable.

"And you're eyes are so…well…big. And that's nice. Big eyes."

Ginny's 'big eyes' widened slightly and she gnawed nervously on her lip, mentally willing him to stop.

"And you're really soft," he blurted out and Ginny's mouth fell open. "Which is important…for a girl…"

She fought the urge to close her eyes in embarrassment. He had to be somewhere near the end.

"And the way you move…"

Ginny's heart sank.

"Well…I was…at the zoo with the Dursleys once…"

At this, she couldn't help herself, and let out a short, harsh sound halfway between a burst of laughter and a sob.

Harry stopped short and stared at her, as though not quite sure of what to do.

Ginny was too busy fighting a sudden and fierce internal battle to notice. All at once, she felt angry and suspicious and more than a little appalled. Up until that point, what he had been saying…it made her feel strange inside…almost weak. It was like she had been holding her breath, deep down in the center of her heart. And if he had just been joking the whole time - well, Ginny wasn't sure if she could handle a friendly jest. Especially one like this.

She tightened her arms around herself and eyed him warily. Annoyed that she was sniffling slightly, she sighed. "The zoo, Harry?"

"A swan," he said gently, and furrowed his brow. "I was just going to say that you remind me of a swan."

Something about the way he was looking at her and what he was saying broke her heart, but in a good way. Unable to handle this strange pull between sadness and joy, she just nodded her head and fought the tears that threatened to surface. "Oh," she said hoarsely. "Thank you."

Harry paused. "You don't believe me."

She shook her head, not quite sure how to make him understand. "It's not that…" Although, she had to admit, to a certain extent, it was. "Harry, it's just…" The words were hard to say but she forced herself to say them. "People don't…they don't notice me that way, is all."

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

Yet again, she found herself in a position to feel sympathy with his frequent inability to find the right words. "They just don't…people don't say things like that to me. And, well, I always reckoned they didn't because…you know…because I'm not like that. And I never really felt like I needed to be."

There was a long silence, and Ginny didn't even bother trying to fill it. Nothing she could say could make the matter any better.

"But Michael…"

Ginny shook her head sharply. She had expected him to go in this direction. "It wasn't like that with Michael. I-I made him laugh."

Harry looked at her, confused. "What?"

"Michael once told me that he asked me to go to Hogsmeade with him that first time because he thought I was fun to be around…I made him laugh…" The openly expectant look that Harry was sending her, spurned her on. "I mean, it's wasn't as though it was…well…." She gestured vaguely at herself and, in a rare moment, felt somewhat wretched and pathetic clothed in Percy's hand-me-downs.

"Corner's an idiot," Harry said stiffly. "And no boy dates a girl just because she makes him laugh."

"But-,"

"He should have told you," Harry said firmly, and Ginny was surprised to discern sadness and regret in his gaze. "Corner should have told you. I should have told you…because it's true and you shouldn't believe that it isn't."

Unable to respond, she tilted her chin slightly in what she hoped he would take as a nod.

Instead, he stepped forward and grabbed hold of her arms in a way that flooded her with memories and filled her with longing. She looked up at him, too shocked to say a word, but instead of pulling her against him, he just shook her slightly.

"Listen to me…you're….well, you're so beautiful that you…sometimes I look at you and it's like..." His words were soft but had a hard edge to them vaguely reminiscent of desperation. "It's-well, it's just impossible to…to…" He trailed off in frustration.

Ginny smiled slightly in sympathy. "It's okay, Harry. I know. The words aren't coming."

"No," he responded, locking his gaze with her own. "It isn't that they aren't coming. It's that they don't exist."

Ginny wanted to do many things in that moment. She wanted to laugh, to tell him he was crazy, to kiss him senseless and to tell him she loved him, to run away because she was embarrassed, to tell him she'd never thought he could be so beautiful as he was to her at this very moment, but instead, all those words and actions got stuck in place, and all she could do was stare at him. Stare at him and wonder what on earth she was doing, how she was ever going to get out of it, and why she would ever want to.

What happened next was a bit odd and, for Ginny, difficult to explain. Standing locked in Harry's grip for those few seconds, staring into his eyes, a strange sensation ran through her. She would normally put it off to nerves and emotions, but it made the hair on her arms and the back of her neck stand on end. Faintly, at the edge of her hearing and almost too low for her to believe she wasn't just imagining things, she thought she heard a woman screaming but then the sound evened out and all she heard was laughter. It was a gentle, comforting sound, and one that sounded familiar somehow.

She wondered if Harry heard it too.

Abruptly, he released her arms and took a step back. Ginny felt the energy between them dim with his increased distance, and it was almost a relief. She felt dizzy both physically and emotionally, and watched with a sort of detached amusement as he gathered himself together and snapped his walls back into place. But she didn't feel sad. He had reached out to her on his own accord and he had been…well….so kind.

"I'm, uhm…" Harry took a deep breath and glanced at her sideways. "I should go find Ron. I promised Neville we'd help him with some DA homework."

Ginny nodded weakly, lightly rubbing where he had grabbed her arms.

His eyes caught on her activity and he looked as if he wanted to say something, but instead looked at the ground. "I'll send Hermione back here."

Ginny nodded again.

He made to walk past but stopped abruptly alongside her, so close she could feel his breath on her neck come in hot, fast spurts. It made her shiver - a delicious sensation - and she closed her eyes, because it would be so easy to lose herself right then.

Unable to look at him, she silently willed him to go on, to keep moving and to take with him the almost unbearable tension only he had the power to make her feel.

When she heard the slight rustle of his robes, she nearly sighed with relief.

Ginny's eyes flew open in shock, however, when, instead of hearing him walk away, she instead felt a gentle but steady stream of air against her ear.

She stared up at Harry in surprise and he rewarded her with a slow, mischievous smirk, his green eyes dancing playfully behind his glasses.

Her stomach clenched and she felt her face flush, but, unwilling to let him get the best of her, she returned his smirk and, somehow, found the nerve to add a wink.

He stepped back, his face breaking into a full fledged smile and he nudged her in the side, his fingers lingering a beat too long against her hip, before continuing on his way.

Ginny stared after him, unable to stop herself from laughing and wondering what in the world, exactly, she was supposed to do next.

By the time Ginny and Hermione had returned to Gryffindor Tower it was just about curfew. Ron had already left for patrols and Ginny felt a little bad that she'd made Hermione hurry to make it to her own post on time.

The common room was mainly empty, barring a few third years reading by the fire. Not seeing Harry or Neville anywhere, Ginny trudged up to the girls' dormitory to unwind and try to sort out what had transpired a few hours earlier. She couldn't ever claim to understand boys, much less Harry, but that didn't mean she couldn't give it a try.

He'd left her feeling puzzled and off balance and yet, strangely happy. There was a joyful edge to her anticipation in seeing him next and she relished it.

Maeven's eyes followed Ginny's movements around the room and when Ginny reached out to the bird, she was pleased to sense that her phoenix was in a similar good humor.

Settling into bed after a quick shower, Ginny considered reading a bit of a book on Egyptian magic Bill had sent her, but the weight of her eyes soon convinced her that it was best to turn in. Bidding Maeven a good night, she turned off her light, pulled her curtains shut and settled under her comforter.

Within minutes, she was asleep.

For the next several hours, she dreamt of gleaming phoenixes with long, slender necks and shimmering white plumage. They danced and swooped in graceful circles above her head and she could hear their silvery chiming echoing all around her.

Just as one was swooping close enough for her to touch, she awoke to find herself curled in a ball, shivering rather violently.

Amazed at how cold the room had suddenly become, she fumbled for her wand and cast a haphazard heating charm, which, in her bleary state of semi-consciousness, wasn't terribly successful. Her fingers almost numb, Ginny tried burrowing deeper under the blankets, but the cold air seemed to penetrate even the heavy down comforter tucked around her shoulders.

While the castle tended to get a bit drafty now and again, it was never like this. Someone, she realized, must have left the window open. Annoyed at her careless dormitory mates, Ginny knew that she'd be forced to get out of bed to shut it herself. It was times like this that she wished she knew a useful charm to do the trick and decided to ask Professor Flitwick in the morning, if she remembered.

Poking her head outside of the curtains draped over her bed, Ginny spotted the offending window and made a mad, silent dash across the freezing room to shut it.

The window was old and heavy and stuck, but with a little bit of force, it slid shut with a dull thud. Ginny latched it quickly and made to run back to the welcoming warmth of her bed when she noticed what she had failed to notice before.

Across the room, half bathed in moonlight, lay a limp milky white cushion partially hanging off of its intricate golden stand. The entire area was decidedly empty.

Ginny's phoenix was gone.

End Part 15

_A/N 2: For those of you wondering, this part of the story was written from the beautiful, exotic and increasingly hot Middle East, which is where I am for the summer. Bill Weasley says marhaba (hello), and to all of you in the region reading this fic, shukron (thank you)._


	16. The Heroic Thing

_A/N: Continued thanks to all those who left reviews and to my beta readers Anne and Marian for their help and support.  
_  
Chapter 16: The Heroic Thing  
  
Worried beyond reason, Ginny immediately reached out to Maeven and was shocked by the response.  
  
It was like being struck full force in the head by a wall of unadulterated fear and panic. Running across the room, she grabbed her wand off of her nightstand and urged Maeven to calm down.  
  
After several moments of soothing thoughts, the phoenix was stable enough to allow Ginny to see what was going on.  
  
Closing her eyes, Ginny pushed open their connection and felt herself rushing forward briefly before coming to an abrupt stop. When she reopened her eyes, she was able to see things as Maeven saw them.  
  
They were perched on a tree, and Ginny could see the pale lights of Hogsmeade in the distance. Finally understanding why she'd been so cold before, she instructed her Familiar to cast a heating charm. Surprised and mildly apologetic, as phoenixes are much more resilient to cold than humans, Maeven complied. Ginny almost immediately felt her fingers warm.  
  
Below, Ginny could see two figures that she instantly recognized as Harry and Professor Lupin.  
  
Long ago, shortly after she'd first received Maeven as a volunteer, Ginny had asked the bird to protect not only herself, but also her family and her friends. Unfortunately, after getting through her six older brothers, her parents, members of her extended family, and half of the students in Gryffindor, Maeven had started to look vaguely anxious and ill.  
  
So, instead, Ginny decided to limit the bird's attentions to her immediate family and Harry. And Hermione. And Neville. She had to stop at Neville because Maeven had started to give her that exceptionally aggravated look again.  
  
Ginny could only assume that that's what had drawn Maeven out of the castle in a hurry-when she sensed that Harry had left it.  
  
The two men walked along quickly but silently, Lupin slightly leading the way, looking over his shoulder every so often as though afraid they were being followed.  
  
Maeven's fear increased as soon as they crossed below the branch and Ginny frowned. Were Harry and Professor Lupin being followed? Did Maeven know who was responsible for this? What was Harry doing outside of Hogwarts in the first place?  
  
She was surprised to sense a vague level of irritation and impatience in the bird's response.  
  
The phoenix tugged insistently at Ginny's mind, much like a child against her mother's apron, and it took her a long while before she understood what was happening. Looking down, she saw a set of gold threads, thin but clearly present, stretching from Maeven to Harry below.  
  
A feeling of horror crept into her when she realized that, despite the obvious strands connecting Maeven to Harry, there was absolutely nothing whatsoever between Harry and the man he was with.  
  
A chill ran down her spine when she realized that, whoever that man was, he most certainly was not Professor Lupin.  
  
Ginny had no sooner formed the thought in her mind before two other figures emerged out of the woods and into the clearing. Harry stepped back and drew his wand, but he was struck almost immediately in the chest by a bright blue light shot by the imposter and fell stiffly to the floor.  
  
The imposter's form suddenly shifted and became lankier and taller. His hair was a pale blonde, vaguely reminiscent of Draco Malfoy's, but Ginny had never seen him before. One of the newcomers was also tall, but a bit bulkier, and older. His hair was dark brown shot through with a few gray streaks.  
  
The third figure, unfortunately, was hooded.  
  
Her heart leapt to her throat in fear as all three quickly swarmed Harry's prone body.  
  
This was...well, this was bad, to put it lightly.  
  
Ginny had no delusions of grandeur or heroism. Her job was definitely not to play the complete idiot by rushing down to save Harry. For heaven's sakes, at least at the Ministry she'd had several of her friends by her side. Here, she was completely alone and she wasn't even sure she could effectively fight through Maeven even if she wanted to.  
  
Her job, a simple but very vital one, was to go and summon the cavalry, something she was gladly going to do. First, though, she wanted to see how badly Harry was hurt because she knew she could do so from the safety of their overhead position.  
  
Ginny concentrated hard, forcing Maeven to narrow her gaze on the group below.  
  
Within seconds, her eyes refocused and Ginny could see the small party as though she was standing right in front of them. Unfortunately, the hooded figure had turned and was speaking to the other two men and Ginny missed getting a look at its face.  
  
"I left him back in his bedroom," the imposter was saying. "He's suspended in the middle of the room...quite brassed off...it wasn't easy, you know."  
  
The murmured response was too low for her to hear, so she turned her attention on Harry instead, praying that whatever he had been struck with had simply knocked him unconscious and that she would still be able to discern some signs of breathing.  
  
Much to her surprise, she found that not only was Harry alive, he was also quite awake. While his body was frozen in some sort of body bind, his eyes were still active and they were gazing up in utter terror. Ginny's heart skipped a beat in sympathy and she looked over her shoulder, expecting to see the group coming back, but instead found them still deep in conversation.  
  
A slow, sinking feeling invaded her stomach when she looked back at Harry and realized that, no, he wasn't looking through her.  
  
He was looking at her.  
  
Quite understandably, Harry looked about as pleased to see her, as she herself was to be there. In fact, he was jerking his eyes leftward almost to the point of appearing to seizure and Ginny got the message loud and clear.  
  
RUN.  
  
Trying to calm her nerves, Ginny nodded at him, and attempted to give him a look conveying that she most certainly planned on it and was going to go for help and for him to calm down. She pushed to the back of her mind why it was that she was visible to him. Perhaps it was some sort of bond they'd created. Perhaps it was the fact that Maeven was allowing them to connect. Perhaps-  
  
"Hold."  
  
She froze, thoroughly horrified, at the sharp command that had issued from directly behind her.  
  
Perhaps it was that she was visible to everyone.  
  
She caught the look of complete devastation swimming in Harry's green eyes before he slid them shut in defeat.  
  
"Turn."  
  
Not daring to move and yet not daring to stay still, Ginny turned very slowly in compliance with the speaker's instructions. Coming face to face with the hooded figure, she plunged into a complete insensible panic.  
  
Bellatrix Lestrange smiled back at her, her face slightly illuminated by the moonlight. She would have been stunningly beautiful if not for the almost vicious contortions her mouth went through in order to produce something that resembled a smile.  
  
Holding a dark, reddish-brown wand directly at Ginny's chest, her black eyes glittered as she regarded the girl carefully.  
  
"If it isn't the littlest Weasley."  
  
Bellatrix somehow made her last name sound like a curse and, beneath the fear, Ginny felt a small spark of anger ignite.  
  
"Perhaps we'll be able to kill two birds with one stone." The smile dropped off of her face as suddenly as it had appeared. "Won't Lord Voldemort be pleased?"  
  
The anger quickly dissipated back into fear and Ginny tried to force herself to be calm and reasonable. While she was not sure how on earth Bellatrix could see her, she knew that, contrary to all appearances, there was no way she was actually standing in front of the woman. With Hogwarts' anti-Apparition wards in place, even Professor Dumbledore couldn't Disapparate in and out of the castle.  
  
This meant, quite naturally, that Ginny was not standing on the outskirts of Hogsmeade, as she so keenly believed she was, but instead, was still physically in the safety of her dorm room back in Gryffindor Tower. Meaning, she had access to help, meaning, there was still some semblance of hope.  
  
Ginny forced herself to focus and could feel some slight tension tying her to the ground. She pushed against it in an attempt to break herself free, but whatever was holding her in place was strong and simply wouldn't budge.  
  
Having wasted a few precious moments on these thoughts, she quickly opened her mind to call for Maeven and realized that the bird had been trying to contact her ever since Ginny had appeared in front of Harry.  
  
Maeven was terrified, and rightly so, so Ginny had a good deal of trouble understanding what had happened. Ignoring the bird's attempt at an explanation because there simply wasn't time, she managed to force a message through, instructing Maeven to release her from their link so she could go and get help. With Ginny's mind engaged through Maeven, she could not see where she was going. To be perfectly honest, Ginny wasn't even certain she could instruct her body to move back at Hogwarts.  
  
The response, however, was less than satisfactory. After a beat of dead silence, Maeven started to explain again and Ginny, finally starting to understand the gravity of their situation, realized that the bird was roughly as clueless as she was.  
  
In other words, she was stuck.  
  
Ginny engaged in a repeat attempt to push against the invisible bonds that held her to the ground but to no avail.  
  
Maeven's mind alighted on what she was doing and they both tried again but even their collective efforts failed to produce any results.  
  
That settled it.  
  
FLY.  
  
Ginny screamed the command mentally at Maeven, thoroughly startling her phoenix, but it was effective. The bird quickly took off from the branch she had been perched on and began flying as fast as she could in the direction of Hogwarts.  
  
It was possibly one of the worst moments of Ginny's life when Bellatrix's eyes flickered overhead and, with a cunning that could only result from years of practice, simply retrained her wand at a spot in the air and spoke a curse Ginny didn't recognize.  
  
The bright flash of heat that engulfed Ginny was enough for her to know that Maeven had been struck. The heat got so bad that it burned parts of her skin, but just as it reached an excruciating level, it disappeared.  
  
Almost instantly, she could hear the angry, frightened cacophony of Maeven's infant mind and it made her feel sick. In her haste to send for help, she'd never bothered to instruct her Familiar to cast a concealing charm on her bright purple feathers. It was the sort of mistake a second year would make and Ginny felt incredibly foolish for it.  
  
It was the sort of error that might well cost all three of them their lives.  
  
"Find it," Bellatrix said in a quiet, deadly voice, and one of her companions ran in the direction where Maeven had fallen. Bellatrix trained her wand back on Ginny almost instantly and was smiling again. "Clever little thing, aren't you?" Her eyes never leaving Ginny's, she inclined her head towards her remaining companion, the handsome blonde man who had masqueraded as Professor Lupin. "Did they ever...?"  
  
"No." The man shook his head.  
  
"You're certain?" Bellatrix asked.  
  
"Perfectly," the man responded.  
  
"Good. Stupefy."  
  
With barely enough time to react, Ginny froze and squeezed her eyes shut against the impending darkness. The stream of energy whipped right into her chest. And then it went through her chest, with only a mild tingling sensation in its wake. She spun around and saw it strike the tree right above Harry's head, narrowly missing him.  
  
The man let out an involuntary yelp of surprise and Bellatrix made a hissing noise. "She's projecting herself from somewhere else. She's got to be close by. Find her." Bellatrix took a few steps forward, and Ginny watched as the dark-haired woman leaned slightly to the left to get a look past Ginny at Harry's prone form. Ginny dared to follow her gaze and saw Harry giving the woman a defiant, angry look.  
  
Bellatrix's gaze flickered silently back to Ginny. "He's looking for you, you know," she said slowly. "It's only a matter of time until we find you."  
  
Ginny took an involuntary step backwards.  
  
"So why are you still here?"  
  
She didn't bother to respond, as it was clear that Bellatrix had asked the question to herself. Before the woman could venture a guess, they were interrupted.  
  
"Found it!"  
  
Ginny watched in dismay as Maeven was carried over, her pale, wrinkled skin almost glowing in the moonlight. The man quickly placed the struggling chick in Bellatrix's black-gloved hand.  
  
Ginny felt Maeven recoil, disgusted by the dark magic seeping through the leather.  
  
Bellatrix stared down at the bird and raised an eyebrow. "Fascinating." She looked back up at the young Gryffindor. "I've always wanted a phoenix."  
  
Ginny's own hatred towards the woman was doubled by her Familiar's, as the chick was still connected to her mind and was listening to the conversation.  
  
Breathlessly, the other man returned and shook his head, indicating he hadn't been able to find her. Bellatrix frowned-an expression that seemed to come more naturally - and pinned Ginny with a look.  
  
"Tell me where you are, little girl, or I'll have to punish you."  
  
This, Ginny knew, was an empty threat at best. The single advantage to being stuck in this ghost-like state was that Bellatrix couldn't touch her.  
  
A moment of silence passed and, with no preamble, Bellatrix turned her wand on Maeven.  
  
"Crucio."  
  
Maeven started trembling violently in Bellatrix's hand and Ginny could feel flashes of pain running through their connection and striking her indirectly. Her phoenix was making a high-pitched squealing noise that echoed around her head and made the physical pain so much worse. It was like Ginny's heart was being ripped out of her chest in agony of what was happening to her Familiar.  
  
After what felt like several minutes, but what really could have only been a few seconds, Maeven stopped twitching and Ginny's mind cleared. She could still sense Maeven trembling in response to the attack, but phoenixes recovered very quickly and hers was no different.  
  
Bellatrix looked up at her, black eyes devoid of all emotion. "Shall we try this again?"  
  
It was terribly hard for Ginny to believe that this...this thing...was actually related to Sirius Black. Beautiful, wonderful, generous, fierce Serious Black whom she ached for now more than ever; and she was standing face to face with his killer. Pushing away her anger, because she knew it wouldn't help her now, Ginny's mind raced over her options of escape and one suddenly struck her.  
  
Could Maeven mentally contact Fawkes somehow?  
  
A tentative possibility arose between girl and Familiar.  
  
Bellatrix hadn't survived as long as she had because she was stupid; she caught the silent, split-second interaction and instantly turned her wand back on the phoenix.  
  
"No-wait-please!" Ginny cried, but Bellatrix ignored her.  
  
"Crucio."  
  
Acting purely on instinct, Ginny reached forward mentally, thrust as hard as she could into her connection with Maeven, and felt the full blow of the curse pass through her bird directly into herself. Instantly regretting the hasty decision, she couldn't stop herself from letting out an ear-splitting scream from the enormous amount of pain that pounded through her.  
  
It was like scalding hot water had been poured down her throat and she felt as though her ribs were breaking inside her chest. She wasn't altogether certain that they weren't. Suddenly, Ginny knew she wasn't impervious to attack, even in this state and, judging from the look on Bellatrix's face, she wasn't alone in that realization.  
  
Tossing the phoenix to the ground, Bellatrix, pointed her wand at it.  
  
"Crucio!" she shouted.  
  
Maeven managed to hop desperately out of the way and the force of the curse singed the grass where she had been just moments before.  
  
Ginny's heart was pounding in time with the pain in her head and she could do little more than watch her phoenix jump erratically back and forth, as Bellatrix tried to hit her. A sick, sadistic look had entered the dark- haired woman's features and Ginny realized that she was enjoying this twisted sport.  
  
As Maeven was yet quite small and couldn't hop particularly fast, it was only a matter of time before she would be struck again. A split second before it happened, Ginny braced herself against the impending pain, and Maeven tried to tamp down on their connection to dampen the effects.  
  
Ginny was somewhat ashamed that she couldn't even bring herself to stop her phoenix from trying to act as a shield. The heroic thing would have been to force herself to take the full blast of the curse again, but Merlin, it hurt _so much_.  
  
The effect felt just as brutal as the first time, even with Maeven sharing some of it, and Ginny felt herself grow dizzy and nauseous.  
  
Struggling to stay awake-for what, she did not know- she looked over at Harry and saw him staring back at her, tears sparkling in his green eyes. Once he saw that she was looking at him, however, he jerked his eyes upwards and Ginny's gaze instantly fell on the spot where Bellatrix's attempt to stupefy her had stripped some of the bark from the tree over his head.  
  
Much like when she played chess, Ginny's mind started rapidly clicking forward and backward, trying to put together a line of strategy.  
  
"Crucio!" Bellatrix said again, but Maeven rolled out of the way, giving Ginny a few more precious seconds to think...  
  
_"He's suspended in the middle of the room...quite brassed off..."  
  
"Did they ever...?" "No." "Good. Stupefy."_  
  
Ginny looked at Harry and then at Maeven and prayed silently that she was right. If not, she was possibly making the most idiotic mistake of her young life.  
  
As there wasn't time to doubt her logic, and she wasn't sure she'd be able to do what she had to if she was struck again, Ginny took a deep breath and seized on Maeven's attention. She passed the information along to her Familiar who, unquestioningly, started hopping again with almost desperate enthusiasm. The fact that the phoenix had suddenly found a definite direction did not escape Bellatrix's notice.  
  
"Crucio!"  
  
Ginny saw the curse hurtle towards her phoenix and she felt the bile lurch up the back of her throat. Sweet Merlin, she couldn't endure it again. She just couldn't.  
  
For one blinding moment she felt a horrible, painful kinship with whatever Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom had endured. It was awful. The most awful thing she had ever experienced, and, even so, she knew she'd only had the smallest taste of what they'd gone through. It made her sympathy and grief for them that much more piercing.  
  
Maeven took a particularly impressive leap away at the last moment, falling mere inches away from Harry's head.  
  
Merlin, how she longed for Neville! Or Ron! They'd know what to do. She longed desperately for the safety of her brother and her best friend.  
  
"Get it!" Bellatrix shouted and her two companions rushed forward, lunging for Maeven.  
  
With no other way to help, Ginny held her wand tightly , and waited for her single chance. She could only hope that if she could access her wand through Maeven, then the opposite was also true.  
  
Moments later, Maeven alighted on top of Harry's head. Ginny's eyes caught on an odd circular glow from under Harry's shirt but didn't have time to dwell on it. Instantly, she unleashed her curse.  
  
"Stupefy!"  
  
She felt the magic flow through her - it was weak, but there was no way to help that, she was simply too injured. With her consciousness slipping, Ginny forced the magic through herself into Maeven and Maeven passed it directly into Harry.  
  
Perhaps it was that Maeven managed to amplify it, or perhaps it was Harry's willingness to accept it, but whatever the case, his eyes instantly slid shut.  
  
If Ginny was waiting for something impressive to happen just then, she most certainly wasn't disappointed.  
  
No sooner had Harry's eyes closed than a bright red and gold shield shot out, emanating from his chest. It was rimmed with letters that Ginny was not able to read properly at such an angle , and there appeared to be a gleaming red phoenix embossed on the front of it.  
  
As it turned out, Ginny didn't have to read the letters as someone else read them for her.  
  
"HARRY POTTER...." a voice bellowed, "IS UNDER THE PROTECTION OF THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX."  
  
Bellatrix and her two lackeys jumped at the sound.  
  
Ginny, in a state of detached hysteria, almost cried from joy. In what had to be one of Dumbledore's most brilliant touches, the voice was unmistakable.  
  
It was her mother-in full Howler mode.  
  
Hatred burning in her eyes, Bellatrix trained her wand on Maeven and fired. But Maeven was sitting with Harry, well behind the shield and, though it trembled on impact, it held.  
  
In fact, it gradually started to glow even more brightly. The brilliant red phoenix that marked the front of it started flapping its wings harder and harder until suddenly, it burst through.  
  
"Fawkes..." Ginny whispered, staring at the brilliant bird. Briefly, she thought she saw something flicker in front of her eyes, but shook her head to clear her vision.  
  
She had never seen the phoenix in full battle mode and it was an impressive sight. Having spent years at Dumbledore's side, Fawkes had attained an agility and precision that was truly intimidating. She could sense Maeven's gaze trained on the other bird as well in awe and admiration.  
  
Moments after Fawkes appeared, Ginny heard a series of pops.  
  
"You stupid arrogant little-"  
  
Nymphadora Tonks ran past Ginny, her wand trained at Bellatrix. Even as she was running, she was transforming and Ginny stared, open mouthed, as she charged at Bellatrix in the form of Sirius Black.  
  
"I will kill you for this!" Tonks screamed in her own voice, which trembled with such anger that Ginny flinched.  
  
Bellatrix blanched slightly before recovering and aiming her wand at Tonks.  
  
"Expelliarmus!"  
  
Sweet Merlin, it was Fred. Ginny spun around and saw him fighting off one of Bellatrix's men while George set himself against the other one.  
  
Curses began to fly all around her, and Ginny didn't even hear the others Apparate, but was alerted to Professor Lupin's arrival by the animal-like scream he let out before plunging past her in Tonks' direction.  
  
Her father ran after him, wand drawn, shouting "Remus! Remus, no!!"  
  
Kingsley Shacklebolt was crouched over Harry's unconscious form and Ginny felt almost weak with happiness when he picked up Maeven.  
  
She turned back to the fighting and saw Tonks hurl herself against Lupin to force him out of the way just as Bellatrix shot off a particularly vicious red stream of light. Unable to move fast enough, they were both struck by the curse, although Lupin took the brunt of it.  
  
He fell sideways with a sickening thud and knocked his head twice against the ground before coming to a halt. Bellatrix took the momentary distraction as her chance to disappear and did just that.  
  
Tonks, clutching her side, quickly melted back to her normal figure. She hovered over Lupin, her trembling fingers grazing repeatedly over his unconscious features. Ginny's father waved his wand, muttered a few words Ginny couldn't hear, but then nodded.  
  
"He'll be all right. We need to get him to Poppy."  
  
Her vision flickered again and this time Ginny discerned, quite clearly, her dormitory room. Abruptly, she was back in the field again, although it was becoming harder to see. Whatever was holding her down had started to dissipate.  
  
"Tonks!" Kingsley held Maeven up. "Look at this."  
  
It occurred to Ginny then, that none of them could see her anymore. It made sense, given the increasing lightness she'd felt the moment she saw that Harry was protected, but now she rather wanted them to be able to see her. To know that she was all right.  
  
The relieved look on Tonk's face abruptly disappeared. "Oh no."  
  
"Ginny?" Her father stood up and started running around the area, shouting her name. "Ginny Weasley!"  
  
Ginny saw Fred and George, who had subdued their opponents in record time, look anxiously at her father. Duel looks of concern crossed their faces.  
  
Ginny tried to call out to them, but even as she opened her mouth, she felt the warm, inviting darkness envelope her.  
  
"Dad?" she whispered, just as she lurched forward, finally fully back in her room.  
  
Someplace, deep inside her mind, she thought she heard the sound of sirens wailing, but there was little she could do to silence them or, for that matter, to stop herself from falling.  
  
The edge of her night table rushed up into her vision at a frightening speed, but just before her head struck the side, Ginny felt herself being jerked upward by strong hands.  
  
At that moment, pure relief was all she felt as the last of her consciousness ebbed out of her.  
  
She thought she glimpsed the kind blue eyes of Neville Longbottom gazing down at her, right before her world faded to black.  
  
End Chapter 16 


	17. The Ties That Bind

A/N:  
  
_I think a few of you got confused with Chapter 16. In a way, that's a good thing. I departed a bit from my normal style in order to bring you an opportunity to experience something the way Ginny would. So, everything was much faster paced and not as clearly spelled out. It ought to be somewhat confusing for you because it was somewhat confusing for her. Give the part another read and hopefully it'll start to make some more sense (once you know how it ends, you should be able to follow what was happening)._  
  
_For those who aren't inclined to do that, below, I've addressed a few questions most commonly asked:_  
  
1. **Why didn't Bellatrix try to use Crucio on Harry? Hitting him with it would obviously be a better way to get to Ginny than hitting Maeven with it.**  
  
_This is a critical point to understanding the last part. Some of you picked it up on your own, but it's spelled out rather clearly in this chapter so I'd rather not discuss it here. If you have lingering questions afterwards, feel free to ask me.  
  
On terms of the second half of the question, don't assume that hitting Maeven with Crucio isn't nearly as bad as hitting Harry. While Ginny does love Harry, Maeven is her Familiar and there's love there as well. Furthermore, Ginny and Maeven are connected in a way that Ginny and Harry are not. If Maeven gets hit Ginny experiences it, not just emotionally, but physically._  
  
2. **Phoenixes can apparate-why didn't Maeven just do that?  
**  
_Many of you pointed out the scene in Book 5 where Fawkes apparated out of Hogwarts when Ginny's father was attacked. Valid point. However, in writing this story, I've tried to convey the fact that Maeven is very much like Ginny in a lot of respects. She has a good heart and means well, but at times she is still quite young and inexperienced. If you reread the story, you'll notice many instances where Maeven, to put it bluntly, screws up. For example, she failed to give Ginny warning before she exploded into flames on her shoulder during her first transformation, she failed to notify Ginny before leaving Hogwarts, she failed to cast a warming charm on herself while tracking Harry, she also forgot to cast a concealment charm on herself before going to get help, etc. Ginny blames herself for a lot of these things, but keep in mind that Maeven is sentient. She should have thought of much of this herself.  
_  
_Maeven did not apparate back to Hogwarts for the simple reason that she did not think of it and, even if she had, would not have known how. Fawkes is as good as he is not by virtue of being a phoenix, but because Dumbledore has trained him over the course of decades. While powerful, phoenixes are not all powerful superbeings and Maeven has a ways to go before she reaches Fawkes' level._  
  
3. **Why did Ginny take the Crucio when it wasn't hurting Maeven?  
**  
_Ginny threw open her link with Maeven because, even though Maeven recovers fast from Crucio, it is certainly not a pleasant experience for her. Ginny did it out of sympathy for her Familiar and because she wanted to give Maeven time to try and contact Fawkes.  
_  
4. **What's the deal with this shield business to begin with? Why did Ginny suddenly appear in front of Harry? Why couldn't she disappear? For the love of God, what the hell did Dumbledore say to Harry six chapters ago!!!**  
  
_Good questions, but can't say. :) Read below to find out more...  
_

Chapter 17: The Ties That BindWhen Ginny regained consciousness several minutes later, she found herself in perhaps the last place she ever thought she'd be in her life.  
  
"Severus! Where are you going?! The infirmary is the other way!" Minerva McGonagall's voice was uncharacteristically shrill, but Severus Snape didn't hesitate in his near run down the hallway and the only indication that he heard her was the way he slightly readjusted his grip around Ginny's body.  
  
"No time, Minerva, we need to get her to Dumbledore!" Snape shouted over his shoulder, causing Ginny to wince. He needn't have gone through the trouble, as McGonagall had raced after them at lightning speed and had already caught up alongside him.  
  
"Are you out of your mind? She might've been injured," McGonagall continued breathlessly. "We need to get her to Poppy. We don't know what's going on."  
  
Ginny could feel his body tense. "Precisely, Minerva. Let Dumbledore be the judge of what happened. You know the alarms were triggered and the castle is in lockdown. Her phoenix was there and Longbottom caught her coming out of some trance, he says. Clearly she knows something useful."  
  
As though on cue, Ginny heard the patter of hurried footsteps down the hall and she heard the sound of Neville and Ron shouting her name.  
  
At this, Professor Snape did stop and he whirled on the two boys just as they managed to catch up.  
  
"Longbottom!" he bellowed. "Put your shirt on and get back to your dormitory this instant, lest you desire detention until the day you leave school . Same goes to you, Weasley."  
  
"Ginny needs our help, sir." Neville sounded out of breath, but firm. "We're coming with you."  
  
"One hundred points from Gryffindor!" Snape shouted.  
  
Ginny thought she heard McGonagall gasp.  
  
"I'm sorry, sir, but we're coming," Ron said.  
  
"Minerva, control your the members of your house." Snape sounded disgusted, but he took off hurrying down the hall again. Ginny could hear the retreating sound of voices raised in argument as Professor McGonagall tried to reason with Ron and Neville.  
  
They were turning the corner to Dumbledore's office when Ginny suddenly heard-or rather felt, as her head was resting against his chest-Snape start speaking again. But this time, the tone was much quieter and more like his usual smooth baritone. "Can you walk, Miss Weasley?"  
  
A curious question, and not one that she was sure she knew the answer to. She didn't even bother asking how he knew she was awake but instead opened her eyes and managed a nod, hoping that she wouldn't end up crumpling to the floor the moment he put her down again.  
  
Seemingly sensing the trepidation in his young charge, Severus Snape set her down gently in front of the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to the headmaster's office but did not release her arm. She was surprised to feel a little dizzy, but little else. Fatigue was more of the issue. Her muscles ached when she moved, but otherwise, she wasn't feeling too bad.  
  
A spasm of pain – almost like an aftershock from the curse – suddenly ran up her spine and Ginny had to bite back a surprised cry. Perhaps she wasn't entirely okay.  
  
Luckily for her, Snape didn't seem to notice. He gave the proper password and, almost immediately, they found themselves whisked up to Dumbledore's office.  
  
Tonks, Kingsley and Dumbledore were present in the center of the room. Ginny was a bit surprised to see Blaise Zabini standing silently in a corner, his pale blue-green eyes clouded in contemplation.  
  
Snape walked her to the armchair directly in front of Dumbledore's desk and waved off Tonks who let out an exclamation of shocked relief.  
  
"Miss Weasley, we're glad you could join us," Dumbledore said serenely. "I believe this belongs to you."  
  
She felt a surge of joy when he reached over and passed her a squirming pink bundle. Maeven let out a happy, high-pitched chime the moment she was placed in Ginny's cupped hands. Almost immediately, Ginny began to feel a bit better.  
  
Tucking Maeven into her lap, Ginny looked back up. "What happened to Harry?" she asked.  
  
Kingsley looked at her. "How did you...?"  
  
"Harry's in the infirmary," Tonks cut in. She ran a hand through her hair, which was short, dark and spiky at the moment. "He's out like a light, and will be for a while, but he should be fine."  
  
"And Professor Lupin?"  
  
At this, the Auror's gaze darkened slightly. "He's in the infirmary too. We- we don't know how he is just yet. We don't know what curse he was struck with."  
  
"But...I saw it hit you, too," Ginny said quietly. "Shouldn't you go to the infirmary as-,"  
  
She was interrupted by the rather loud, unceremonious arrival of Neville, Ron and a terribly exasperated-looking Minerva McGonagall who appeared to have been shouting at both boys the entire journey up to Dumbledore's office.  
  
"Ahh, Mr. Longbottom and Mr. Weasley." Dumbledore sent McGonagall a look and she fell silent. "I've been expecting you." He beckoned to both boys who had stopped yelling and were now gawking at the crowd in the room. They suddenly looked almost...shy.  
  
Ron's eyes fell on Blaise and he instantly looked guarded.  
  
"Please, take a seat." Dumbledore waved his hands and two armchairs popped out of thin air next to Ginny.  
  
Snape was seething in anger upon sight of the new arrivals, but he also kept his silence from his position in the corner standing next to Blaise.  
  
Spotting Ginny, Ron and Neville eagerly scrambled for the armchairs. Neville snagged the closest one and reached out and clasped her hand in his own. She winced internally at the pressure. Under normal circumstances it was nothing but a friendly squeeze, however, Ginny's whole body felt sensitive and bruised and where he was holding her, it throbbed unpleasantly. Still, she couldn't quite bring herself to pull away.  
  
"Now then," Dumbledore said, once the boys were settled. "You were saying, Miss Weasley, that you 'saw' Tonks get struck by the curse?"  
  
Ginny nodded, then regretted the action as it set her head to spinning slightly.  
  
"Why don't you tell us what happened?"  
  
In the interest of time and the mild nausea setting in, she relayed her half of the story in as quick and simple a manner possible. She mentioned Bellatrix's torture of Maeven, but omitted the part where she herself had been hit by the Cruciatus Curse . She needed to find out what exactly had happened and she knew this was her best shot. If they ushered her down to the infirmary now in a fit of hysteria - as she was sure they would the instant they found out - she might never get the whole story.  
  
"The ties that bind us to each other," Dumbledore said once she had finished. "Fascinating."  
  
"What about them?" Tonks asked.  
  
"Miss Weasley apparently can see them."  
  
The occupants of the room reacted in varying degrees of shock, with the possible exception of Severus Snape who merely looked irritated and vaguely uncomfortable.  
  
"That's how I knew, you see. Th-that's how I knew that whoever that man was with Harry-he wasn't Professor Lupin. When I looked between them there was nothing there."  
  
"Can you see them now?" Ron cut in.  
  
"No, I generally have to want to see them to-"  
  
"You should have told one of us about this-" Tonks began.  
  
But Dumbledore waved her silent. "There is time for this later on, once our fallen ranks have fully recovered. Tonks, however, is correct. This gift of Miss Weasley's could be highly useful to the Order."  
  
"Why couldn't I leave once I got there, Professor?" Ginny asked.  
  
Dumbledore looked at her thoughtfully. "Projection under duress, it seems. Rare, but it does happen on occasion."  
  
Kingsley nodded. "Happens during Auror training once every few years. Usually someone panics during an exercise and accidentally projects. We try to teach it to the Aurors early on because it's tactically useful since you're relatively impervious to attack while being able to see and hear things as though physically present. Involves channeling yourself through a medium, though. In this case, I reckon it was your phoenix. That's tricky magic, and it would be easy to get ensnared if you don't know how to undo it."  
  
There was a thoughtful silence.  
  
"How did they do this?" Tonks said finally, although she didn't appear to be speaking to anyone in particular. "Who was that man?"  
  
"I thought you caught both of the men," Ginny said, slightly alarmed.  
  
Tonks shook her head ruefully. "We caught them, but the blonde one shifted form and got away. George wasn't expecting him to be able to change like that...not his fault. The other one was dead by the time we got to the infirmary." She sighed. "Voldemort doesn't take well to having his men captured. After Lucius, it seems like he's taking precautions."  
  
"He did it through the Dark Mark?" Kingsley mused.  
  
"Must have," Tonks said. "I still don't understand. My kind is so rare...the few others who are like me are registered at birth. Where on earth did he come from? And even if he can shift shape, he still shouldn't have been able to remove the amulet from Remus."  
  
So that's why Professor Lupin hadn't been protected from the curse. Ginny pounced on the topic. "What was that, by the way? That shield that turned up in front of Harry?"  
  
No one spoke for a few strained moments, until Dumbledore unclasped his hands and leaned forward. "You see, Miss Weasley, Harry and other members of the Order of the Phoenix are protected by a rather intricate network of spells. It's very complicated, as we must adjust the levels of protection from time to time to allow our members to conduct their business." He smiled slightly. "We've had an enormous amount of help in that from your brother Bill. All of the amulets are a bit different."  
  
"Harry's was set to go off if he was knocked unconscious..." Ginny said slowly.  
  
"Among other things," Dumbledore replied. "Does everyone have one?" Ron piped up, glancing around the room.  
  
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled slightly at the thinly veiled real question. "Just members of the Order and Harry. We did not include friends of the Order because of the delicacy of the balance involved and the fact that this system remains quite new."  
  
"Why Harry?" Ron asked. "Did you know he was in trouble?"  
  
Ginny felt something bothering her in the back of her mind and it became more pronounced at her brother's inquiry.  
  
At this, Dumbledore looked a bit sad. "Yes, I fear that we saw Bellatrix Lestrange in Hogsmeade beforehand and we felt it best to include him in the network at that time. Naturally we had no idea she had the means to attempt something like this."  
  
Suddenly, it dawned on Ginny. "Professor," she asked softly, "when did you give Harry his amulet?"  
  
Dumbledore's blue eyes met her brown ones and she was startled to see sympathy and understanding in them. "On the day after the DA party, Miss Weasley. I called him in in the morning to give him his amulet. Later that afternoon, once we'd confirmed Bellatrix's presence in Hogsmeade, I called him back in and informed him of it."  
  
The detailed nature of his response, which must have seemed a tad unnecessary to the rest of the group, made perfect sense to Ginny whose troubled mind had wandered aimlessly over this question again and again. Dumbledore clearly knew what had happened, and she didn't care how, as she was too relieved that she finally understood why Harry had had such an abrupt change of heart at Christmas.  
  
"I still can't believe that man managed to get into Hogwarts." Tonks shivered as though repulsed at the thought. "And, after all, we don't even know if that was a man or what he really looked like. If he can shape shift, goodness, he could be anyone!"  
  
"Yes, and the question is how 'he' did it," Kingsley said as he paced back and forth. "Remus hasn't left Hogwarts since Christmas and no visitor has entered the school without being personally screened by Dumbledore. Yet, he must have been here for a while if he knew about the automatic triggers on the amulets."  
  
"Whoever did it must have been hiding in the castle since the start of the term...possibly the year," Snape said coolly.  
  
"Impossible," McGonagall shook her head. "Someone would have noticed by now. The house elves have been conducting thorough sweeps twice a day. With staff and students all around, and Filch patrolling at night, someone would have reported something out of the ordinary."  
  
"Yes, Minerva, provided that whoever was hiding wasn't supposed to BE here in the first place," Snape responded in an exasperated voice.  
  
"Are you saying a faculty member..." McGonagall's voice trailed off.  
  
"No." Snape said swiftly. "A student."  
  
Ginny felt nauseous.  
  
"You think one of the students did a thing like this?" McGonagall looked horrified.  
  
Snape shook his head again with growing impatience. "No. I believe that someone posing as a student did this. Minerva, I fear one of our students did not come back this year and someone took their place."  
  
McGonagall looked at Dumbledore. "We'll have to search the houses."  
  
"It isn't anyone in Potions," Snape said quietly and, after a pause, all of the adults seemed to agree although Ginny had absolutely no idea why. "No one in Slytherin, either," he continued.  
  
Ginny frowned. Why would Snape immediately discount Slytherin? If anything, that seemed like the first place to start looking.  
  
"Now Severus, you're certain?" McGonagall asked.  
  
"Yes, because I would know, Minerva." Snape replied, his tone set to cut steel. "That leaves sixth and seventh year students in Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw who aren't doing their N.E.W.T.S. in Potions."  
  
"That's still nearly 100 students." McGonagall frowned.  
  
"There was this girl..." Tonks said suddenly. She turned away from the bookcase, she had been facing, her eyes alight with memory. "She was..." With a frustrated sound, Tonks fluttered her hands in the air as though trying to find the words. "She was tall, thin, dark hair...entirely nondescript. Bugger. She was one of Remus's students." The Auror closed her eyes then and she shrank a few inches while her figure became leaner and her hair grew out darker and wavier. Opening her eyes a few moments later, she stared at the room. "Looked a bit like this."  
  
With no idea why Tonks suspected this particular girl, Ginny was startled to realize she recognized her.  
  
"Melinda Rockport," Neville wheezed. "Ravenclaw." He shot Dumbledore a terrified look. "She's in the DA class."  
  
"Go summon Professor Flitwick," Snape told the nearest painting.  
  
"Sherbet lemon ?" Dumbledore asked kindly, and Ginny almost lunged for the sweet dish. She was almost positive the headmaster had made the sweets using some sort of special restorative potion. She hadn't truly appreciated them until the period after her father had been bitten by Voldemort's snake. Dumbledore had gently cajoled her into taking a few and it had provided the most calm she felt during the entire episode. Gratefully, she took one of the proffered sweets.  
  
Neville took five.  
  
After letting Ron have a sweet, Dumbledore put down the dish and regarded them carefully. "Now then, why don't you two boys tell me what you were doing in the girls' dormitory?"  
  
There was a pause as Neville and Ron looked at each other, each silently willing the other to go first.  
  
Ron won the battle of nerves.  
  
"Well, I was asleep, sir,-" Neville began.  
  
"So was I-" Ron added.  
  
"-and it was like I thought I heard something and it woke me up. I sat up in bed, looked over and saw Ron do the same thing-" Neville continued.  
  
"That's when I noticed Harry wasn't in his bed," Ron said.  
  
"-and all of a sudden, it was like I heard Ginny screaming my name," Neville said, his voice starting to quiver in what was clearly a terrifying recollection for him.  
  
"No, she screamed MY name-" Ron began.  
  
"Oh shush, Mr. Weasley, you'll have your turn," Professor McGonagall finally said in exasperation.  
  
"It-it was so loud I expected everyone to wake up, but only Ron jumped out of bed at the same time I did and we just ran to the girls' dorms, sir."  
  
"How did you get past the slide?" McGonagall asked sharply.  
  
At this, Neville blushed and Ron looked rather aggravated.  
  
"Well, Professor, Ron was ahead of me, you see. He runs faster because he's in better shape, I think..."  
  
Ginny knew Neville had a tendency to babble when embarrassed. She shot a curious glance at her brother who continued to look cross.  
  
"So he was leaping up the stairs, you see, and got up part way when...well, when they just folded under us and he tripped forward and I began sliding backwards so I...uhm..." Neville's voice trailed off.  
  
"He hit me with a sticking charm and I stuck to the slide," Ron said in an annoyed voice. "The he climbed up my back, took off his shirt and stuck it to the top part of the slide and crawled the rest of the way up." There was a pause. "Left me on the slide, though." Ron clearly hadn't been able to resist this addition. "Stuck there, you know."  
  
It was almost comforting to see Dumbledore look amused at a time like this.  
  
Ginny glanced at her best friend, thoroughly touched.  
  
"I'm sorry we set off the alarms and woke everyone up," Neville continued, "but all I could think was that Ginny needed our help. I reckoned someone else would get one of the professors when they heard her screaming, but I never stopped to think I'd heard her in my head and not...not out loud." He lowered his voice as though telling a secret. "You see, that's never happened to me before."  
  
Snape made an odd grunting noise and Ginny saw him roll his eyes.  
  
Graciously ignoring his Potions master, Dumbledore nodded sagely at Neville and turned his attention on Ron. "Now Mr. Weasley, what is your version of this evening's events?"  
  
Ginny listened idly as Ron recounted a story almost identical to Neville's and as her attention wandered, her gaze gradually drifted to the corner where Severus Snape was standing by himself. It took her a few minutes before she realized he was sending her covert, unsettled glances via the reflection of a rather shiny bowl atop one of Dumbledore's shelves.  
  
Mulling over the source of his discomfort, it suddenly occurred to her that he had been doing this ever since Dumbledore had said she could see the ties that bound people to one another. Always somewhat susceptible to temptation, Ginny allowed her eyes to slide shut and when they opened, she had to squint somewhat at the brightness and complexity of the threads that suddenly appeared in the room. It was no wonder that the Order of the Phoenix was a tight knit group, and Ginny was happy to see that they genuinely cared for one another, but she did her best to look past the series of crisscrossing, intermingling threads so as to focus herself entirely on Severus Snape.  
  
What she saw broke her heart.  
  
Instead of being surrounded by small, tenuous threads as she fully expected him to be, Snape was covered with thick, dark gold strands that sprang from his chest and stomach and connected to almost every single occupant in the room. What brought tears to Ginny's eyes, was that they all looked to be traveling in one direction-out. The only person with a reciprocal connection to Snape of the same blinding quality was, perhaps expectedly, Dumbledore.  
  
Scrutinizing the threads more closely, Ginny found a few solid connections running from McGonagall and Blaise to Snape, but it was so much less than what he deserved-than what he clearly gave. Ginny felt the twinge in her heart grow and knew without needing to look, that the thread connecting herself to Snape was vibrating-and that she'd been caught.  
  
Raising her eyes almost defiantly to his, she met his gaze and was satisfied to see his sneer briefly falter.  
  
A sudden movement at the opposite end of the room caught her eye and when she looked to see what had caused it, Ginny's mouth fell open. She blinked just as Dumbledore said her name and the threads evaporated.  
  
He was looking at her strangely then, as though suddenly very concerned.  
  
"Miss Weasley, I'd like to speak with you at length tomorrow evening. Right now, let's all go to the hospital wing and see how our patients are doing. I'd also like to have Madam Pomfrey take a look at you. Professor Snape, why don't you escort Miss Weasley?"  
  
She was unable to see his facial expression, but whatever look Dumbledore gave his Potion's master made Snape's face become much less annoyed and much more serious.  
  
With little warning he strode across the room and picked her up again before quickly carrying her out the door.  
  
They had set off at a fast clip down the hall and were already turning the first corner before she heard the voices of the others exiting Dumbledore's office behind her.  
  
There were a few more moments of silence before Snape finally spoke.  
  
"We all choose how we live our lives, Miss Weasley," he said, pitching his low baritone voice soft enough so that there was no chance that the others would overhear him.  
  
"I know that, sir," she whispered back.  
  
"I don't want your pity."  
  
"I don't pity you, sir."  
  
"Then what was that look that you gave me?"  
  
"What look?"  
  
"Don't play innocent with me, Ginevra Weasley, I know exactly what you were doing."  
  
And it occurred to Ginny, then, that Snape was just as curious as she had been to see what the threads surrounding him really looked like. It would have been highly amusing had he not been using his deadly 'professor's voice' on her at that moment.  
  
"Well, sir, I just hadn't expected Professor Dumbledore's connection to you to be stronger than his and Professor McGonagall's." Ginny wasn't sure if it was her imagination but a triumphant look flashed across Snape's features.  
  
It quickly disappeared and he slanted a look in her direction as they turned a corner. "And...?"  
  
"And I hadn't realized how much Blaise Zabini respected you." This was a bit of a white lie as she had already known from Susan that Blaise and Snape were close, but reckoned it bore repeating for Snape's benefit.  
  
"Yes, well..." Snape coughed, "he is a Slytherin and I am head of his house."  
  
"But Malfoy-"  
  
"Mr. Zabini is also an apprentice of sorts," Snape cut in, clearly unwilling to discuss it more.  
  
Ginny bit back a smile.  
  
"So is that all, Miss Weasley?" he kept his voice lightly mocking, but even Ginny could discern the fact he was still genuinely interested.  
  
"Well, sir..."  
  
"Yes?" he let the word out on a sigh, as though bracing himself for the worst.  
  
"I suppose the most surprising thing was that, next to Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall, you seemed most closely connected to...Neville."  
  
Snape made a vague choking noise and it effectively covered the snort of laughter Ginny hadn't been able to contain, despite her ebbing energy.  
  
"I hadn't realized that you regarded Neville so highly-"  
  
"I can assure you, Miss Weasley-,"  
  
"-nor how highly he regards you," she finished quietly and whatever sarcastic comment Snape had been about to issue, died in the air between them.  
  
It was a full minute before either of them spoke and Ginny was careful not to look in her professor's direction during that time because she knew he wouldn't appreciate the intrusion.  
  
"I dare say I need not remind you, Miss Weasley, that certain conversations do not bear repeating." His voice had lost most of its silky charm and now he simply sounded tired.  
  
"Of course not, sir, you have a reputation to protect." The comment was made without ill will and Ginny was glad to see him take it as such.  
  
"Indeed."  
  
They arrived at the infirmary in no time and she was quickly ushered into the waiting comfort of Madam Pomfrey and her father.  
  
"Thank you, Professor Snape," she called, as they took her from him.  
  
He nodded at her, clearly assuming what she had said had been in reference to his carrying her.  
  
She couldn't find the words to correct him.  
  
The last thing Ginny remembered before she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep was Madam Pomfrey pressing a syrupy liquid to her lips.  
  
When she awoke, it was to the gentle glow of light filtering through the white curtains that surrounded her. It was morning...possibly afternoon...and her head hurt terribly. Not quite willing to move her body just yet, she slowly traced the edges of the room with her gaze. It was empty and partitioned off on all sides by the long spotless curtains, save a few chairs that had been pulled up near her bed.  
  
As her body came awake, she started to feel the uncomfortable heat against her back like that of someone who had been lying in bed in one position for much too long. And then, she heard the low murmur of voices just beyond the curtain that faced her.  
  
"...Mum to his office, I don't know why."  
  
Ginny was shocked to hear what sounded like Charlie.  
  
"I knew we should've given her one."  
  
Her heart leapt. Bill. Bill had come to visit her.  
  
Someone shuffled into the adjacent room then, and her brothers fell silent. The slight movement swayed the curtain aside just enough so she could see a sliver of Bill's profile through its part.  
  
She heard the scrape of a chair being dragged across the floor.  
  
"When did you get here?"  
  
Evidently Ron had just come in.  
  
"Ten minutes ago," Charlie responded.  
  
There was a long, uncharacteristic silence between her brothers when suddenly Bill spoke.  
  
"You were supposed to look after her, Ron," he said, his voice quiet but somehow piercing in the unnatural silence that blanketed them.  
  
"I did!" Ron sounded defensive and clearly dismayed. "I-she-I kept an eye on her even right before bed but she didn't even leave the castle! How was I supposed to know?!"  
  
The silence dragged on and Ginny wanted desperately to alert them to the fact that she was fine and that Ron most certainly was not to be blamed, but she found she lacked the energy even to alert them to the fact that she was awake.  
  
"And, I mean...well," Ron sighed, "at least it isn't as bad as last time. I mean, at least she didn't get hurt."  
  
Ginny tensed.  
  
"Ron." Bill said in the same slow, quiet voice, "she was struck with the Cruciatus Curse."  
  
Ginny's heart shattered. So they knew.  
  
"Wh-wha...?!" Ron sounded like he was choking.  
  
"Madam Pomfrey said so. She said at least twice. Maybe more." Bill sounded so devastated that Ginny closed her eyes.  
  
"But how did...she looked...I don't understand..."  
  
"Please, Madam Pomfrey!"  
  
Ginny's ears perked up at the new voice raised in desperation from across the room.  
  
"I'm sorry, Mr. Longbottom." Madam Pomfrey's tone was sharp and unrelenting. "But there are too many people here as is, and we're only letting in family. Unless you yourself are injured, you are going to have to come back."  
  
The next thing she heard was the sound of a chair scraping back and rapid movement.  
  
"Wait, Madam Pomfrey," Bill's voice rang clearly across the room. "Let Neville through."  
  
"Bill Weasley, you know quite well that-"  
  
"But Neville IS family," he said firmly.  
  
And Ginny smiled. Unfortunately, once her eyes were closed, it was very easy to slide into that warm, comforting darkness.  
  
Unable to stop herself, she did just that.  
  
The next time she woke up, her mother was in the room and promptly went into a teary-eyed frenzy falling somewhere between anger and joy that only mothers can manage.  
  
Afterwards, Ginny was greeted by Bill, Charlie, Fred and George, and she was surprised to find that even Percy had taken time off from the Ministry to visit. It appeared that whatever ill will that had arisen between her brothers over her injuries had passed as Bill placed a hand on Ron's shoulder while they spoke to her.  
  
She was shocked to find out that she'd been asleep all night, throughout the following day AND night and into the morning of the second day following the attack. She was also surprised to be told that Harry was being kept adjacent to her partitioned space and that he, too, had not been released from the infirmary. As she had only hit him with a Stunner, and she knew he hadn't been struck with more than a body bind by Bellatrix since his amulet hadn't gone off, she wasn't quite sure why he was still being held.  
  
Stealing a glance at the curtain that separated them, she heard Bill, ever astute, mention that Harry was sleeping.  
  
Reddening slightly, she nodded.  
  
Once she'd managed to sit up in bed and have a bite to eat (more than a bite, truthfully, as she was famished but her brothers respectfully turned a blind eye to that), Bill handed her a number of boxes.  
  
Ginny was incredibly shocked to find a necklace, pair of earrings, and an anklet. She was confused to find the last box contained the same Egyptian hieroglyphic bracelets Bill had given her for Christmas.  
  
"They're charmed for protection," he said. "The necklace is from a friend of mine. You met her a long time ago. You were very little, but you admired it quite a bit at the time and she remembered. So, she owled it here when she heard what'd happened." Something akin to affection flickered in his eyes then, as he gazed at the delicate gold chain with the Arabic style pendant.  
  
Ginny wondered what that was all about.  
  
Glancing at his sister, he smiled. "The earrings and the anklet are from all of us. I retrieved the bracelets from your room. I had put a protection charm on them before I gave them to you over Christmas, you know. It would have alerted me if you were in trouble, had you been wearing them like I told you to."  
  
She sighed. "But the bracelets were so pretty, Bill, I just couldn't wear something like that every day."  
  
He frowned, as though what she was saying didn't quite make sense, but George cut in.  
  
"Then put on the rest of it for now. They'll hide under your robes every day and the earrings are plain-Percy's choice."  
  
Percy simply glanced in George's direction but didn't argue.  
  
Somewhat reluctantly, as she knew the ornaments must've cost her brothers an awful lot of money, plain or not, Ginny donned them.  
  
Her father entered then and a new round on conversation began until finally, a few hours later, everything had calmed down and the crowd dispersed.  
  
Ginny lay back on her bed with her eyes shut, trying to conserve her uneven energy while her brothers, along with Neville, had gone to stand near the windows across the room, so as to give Ginny some quiet time to 'rest'.  
  
She sensed movement suddenly, but by the time she'd opened her eyes, the curtains near her head were swaying and whoever had been there had moved on.  
  
Wondering if maybe Harry was awake, Ginny decided to see if she could sneak a look. Waiting several minutes to make sure everyone was convinced she was asleep, she crept out of her bed and to the curtain.  
  
It was strange standing upright after such a long time lying down and she felt a bit embarrassed when she had to clutch the white curtain to prevent herself from swaying forward. Gritting her teeth, she waited for the dizziness to pass and tried to concentrate on the soothing cold of the tiles under her bare feet.  
  
When she finally managed to sneak out of her own partitioned area and into Harry's she was a bit surprised to see Hermione already there.  
  
The dark-haired girl was lying on the bed sideways next to Harry, her face burrowed in his pillow. Ginny could hear her sniffling and knew she was crying. Harry was saying something to her in low tones, his hand gently grazing her hair.  
  
Worried about Hermione, but feeling very much the intruder on this scene of quiet friendship, Ginny began to back out of the room very slowly. Unfortunately, Harry's eyes caught on the movement and his gaze flickered in her direction.  
  
"Ginny." He looked more exhausted than Ginny had ever seen him, but the slow smile that spread over his face made his green eyes brighten and she felt her heart swell in affection.  
  
Hermione quickly propped herself up. Her eyes were red rimmed and she looked like she hadn't slept in quite a while but she immediately beckoned to the other girl. "Ginny! Oh, how are you feeling?"  
  
Ginny walked tentatively into the room. "Better," she said with a slight smile and started towards the armchair that had been pulled up alongside Harry's bed. She could only assume Ron had vacated it recently.  
  
"No, no, Ginny." Even as she was speaking, Hermione was starting to roll off of Harry's bed. "Lie down here."  
  
Ginny quickly shook her head. "I'm fine, Hermione, stay there, really. I'd be more comfortable sitting up now anyway."  
  
"We could charm the bed to make it bigger..."  
  
"No, of course not, I'm fine." She settled herself into the armchair. "I feel like I've been lying down for ages."  
  
No sooner had she made herself comfortable, than Harry's hand reached out and grasped her own firmly. Their eyes met, and the look was one of silent assurance. His other hand lay slightly cradling Hermione's head. The trio stayed like that in comfortable silence for a few moments.  
  
"Hermione," Ginny finally ventured. "Are you all right?"  
  
At this, Hermione smiled slightly. "Of course...it's silly, really...I just..." She sighed. "I was just so worried about you all. I spent a good five hours trying to settle everyone down at the Tower before I went to find Professor McGonagall, but she wasn't in her quarters. I went to Professor Dumbledore's office, but he wasn't there. I bumped into Professor Snape and Professor Flitwick on the way back, but they wouldn't tell me what was happening. So, I went back to the Tower and then Dobby turned up and told me that your whole family was in the infirmary and I didn't know where Ron or Harry was and I...well...it was just a relief to find out everyone was okay. I've been coming by but neither of you have been awake until now and...well...it just seems we keep getting lucky." Her smile faltered somewhat. "Stupid thing to cry over, really."  
  
"No," Ginny said quietly, "it's not." She knew exactly what Hermione was talking about. Ever since her experience in the Ministry, Ginny had become well acquainted with that strange sensation of gratefulness that became so strong, so piercing, that it had the power to move her to tears.  
  
"You shouldn't be out of bed, you know," Hermione said at length. "Your brothers are going to have a fit when they see that you're here."  
  
Harry tightened his grasp on her hand – whether to signal that she should go or to prevent her from doing so, Ginny wasn't sure.  
  
"I reckon you're right," Ginny responded, but didn't stir from her seat. She was too busy appreciating ...well, Harry's presence. She realized that whatever had been going on, she'd been, yet again, very much shielded from it. It was embarrassing to admit, but she'd almost allowed herself to forget how seriously in danger he was-they all were-and it took a very near miss to bring it all back with startling clarity.  
  
"I should go and find Ron," Hermione said, rolling off of the bed all of a sudden.  
  
Ginny hadn't wanted to make her friend feel uncomfortable, but she hadn't been in the mood to talk. Intending to call Hermione back, she was startled with how quickly the other girl left the room. Yelling after her would alert Ginny's brothers, so she found herself holding Harry's hand and staring blankly at the place where Hermione had made her exit.  
  
"Why don't you lie down?"  
  
She looked down at him in silence for a moment as he shifted to fill the space Hermione had vacated and patted the newly empty space between them. His voice sounded tired and a little hoarse and she would rather that he rested, but she complied with his request because he had been the one to ask her and the need to be close to him was terribly strong just then.  
  
Settling herself onto the bed, she was pleased that the sheets were still warm with the heat of his body and his scent clung to the pillow under her head. Shifting sideways, she couldn't resist cuddling against him and reveling in the feel of his solid warmth against her body.  
  
He placed his arm around her waist, and she leaned her head on his shoulder and they lay there together in an almost shy silence.  
  
"Harry," Ginny whispered, "are you all right?"  
  
"Yes," He whispered back. "Just a little weak."  
  
"I reckon my Stunner was a bit more powerful than I thought." She grinned cheekily against the fabric of his hospital robes and delighted in the light chuckle he let out.  
  
"Proud of yourself, aren't you?" And before she could answer, he hugged her against him. "You should be. I owe you my life."  
  
And at this, Ginny stopped smiling. "No, you don't, Harry."  
  
"I can't believe how completely stupid I was. I mean, I asked him to see his amulet. That's what Dumbledore always said to do, but even when he did, I still didn't quite...I should've called someone else. If you hadn't been there..."  
  
"I was."  
  
"You saved me."  
  
"We're even now, you see," she responded quietly.  
  
There was a long pause.  
  
"Not quite," Harry said, but then he failed to elaborate.  
  
Deciding it might be best to drop the subject, she turned back to her original concern.  
  
"Seriously, though, Harry, why are you still here?"  
  
He sighed. "The magic that protected me and that came from the amulet is generated mostly by me. So are the alarms and the tracking used to tell the Order where I am. There wasn't any other way to do it and...well...it's incredibly draining."  
  
"Why didn't you tell me about her? About Bellatrix, I mean. Dumbledore said that you knew back at Christmas."  
  
And at this, Harry closed his eyes and leaned his head back fully against the pillow. "I don't know...I wanted to. I really did."  
  
"Was it because you were afraid that she'd come after me?"  
  
He made a face and shook his head. "No. No, that's not it at all. I knew that she could come after any one of us at any time. No way for me to stop that, really. I just suppose...well...that I didn't want you to worry. That I didn't want you to have to think about this all the time like I did."  
  
The next question, unfortunately, couldn't be helped.  
  
"And the reason you decided it was better for us to just be friends?"  
  
There was a long silence, but Ginny had learned to be patient when it came to talking with Harry, and eventually her wisdom was rewarded.  
  
"I-I suppose I didn't think it was fair, you see. To you. Because, I mean, if we were...if you became, well, as attached to me as I am to you and then something happened to me..."  
  
Ginny took a short harsh breath and tightened her grasp on his arm.  
  
"..if I were to die all of a sudden..."  
  
"Shut up," she whispered violently, burying her face in his shoulder.  
  
"No, listen to me, I didn't want you to have to go through that-with me dying and all. I suppose I thought about what my mum must've felt like right before..." He took a deep breath. "I mean...knowing that Voldemort had already got my dad first and that she was alone...she was all that was left...and...well...I didn't want that for you."  
  
She knew she shouldn't cry into his hospital gown, as it would be bad form to soak his clothing, but the lump in her throat was terribly hard to swallow and the complete hopelessness she felt-her inability to protect him and shield him from all of this-was very difficult to take.  
  
She felt his fingers stroke her hair and was somewhat comforted, but it took a few minutes before she could look him in the eye and say what needed to be said.  
  
"You're an idiot, Harry Potter."  
  
He nodded. "I know."  
  
"A complete and utter idiot."  
  
"Yes, yes," he responded matter-of-factly while brushing her hair off of her face.  
  
Something about his deferential attitude threw her off guard and brought a spark of unexpected humor into her. "Thinking I'm going to wilt from pining away for you once you're gone."  
  
He paused for a second and regarded her carefully as she smiled up at him, her eyes still filled with tears. "No, now that I think about it, I imagine you'd do quite well for yourself."  
  
She nodded seriously. "I have options."  
  
"Like Dean Thomas," he said. "Even if he is much too short for you."  
  
"Michael Corner."  
  
"Too daft." He noted her raised eyebrow and shrugged. "Besides, Cho might have something to say about that."  
  
Ginny looked thoughtful. "Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of Draco Malfoy."  
  
Harry eye's widened. "What?!"  
  
"You know, sarcastic, terribly easy on the eyes, rich as sin, what's there not to like?"  
  
Harry made a face. "I think Madam Pomfrey overdosed you with the dreamless sleep draught."  
  
"Hm," Ginny said, "perhaps you have a point."  
  
"See? You _would_ wilt without me."  
  
"I think you're right."  
  
"Unsurprising."  
  
She ignored his comment. "Well, there's only one way to fix that."  
  
"Which is?" Harry asked with a grin.  
  
"Don't die." She gazed up at him seriously and saw his eyes lose some of their teasing merriment.  
  
"I'll work on that," he said roughly, before leaning down and planting a firm kiss on her forehead.  
  
The next thing Ginny heard was something that sounded strangely like a whoop of joy followed by the distinct sounds of laughter. This was then followed by something vaguely reminiscent to a small stampede as Charlie, Fred and George came tumbling into Harry's room. Percy and Neville trailed in after them.  
  
"Caught you red-handed, Potter," Fred said.  
  
To his credit, Harry didn't remove his arm from around Ginny or his hand, which was resting against the small of her back, and only stared back at the group of boys.  
  
George was standing right behind his brother, holding what appeared to be a sheet of parchment. "Kissing our little sister on..." He squinted at the parchment. "The forehead?" He looked up and frowned. "Blimey, Gin, couldn't you have picked a bloke with better aim than that?"  
  
Ginny smiled despite herself, as she felt Harry's hand reflexively tighten against her. Why he had no reaction to being 'caught' but was somehow offended at this accusation was beyond her.  
  
She quickly schooled her features back into a scowl. "Bugger off, you." She looked at Charlie. "All right, which one is it? The necklace, the earrings, the bracelet or the anklet?" Evidently someone had slipped a tracking charm onto her jewelry, along with the protection one.  
  
Charlie just grinned.  
  
"Tell me or I'm taking them all off," Ginny warned.  
  
"Take them off and we'll tell Mum," Charlie shot back.  
  
"Tell Mum and I'll tell her how you charmed them," she retorted.  
  
"Tell her that and you'll have to tell her why the charm worked." Charlie threw her an irritatingly dazzling smile.  
  
"Three words," she growled. "Bill's clock hand."  
  
There was a beat of silence as her words sank in.  
  
Ginny had often found, in the scheme of things, that there were advantages to being small and going unnoticed. These advantages were most useful in cases such as these when brute force was not an option and she had to resort to the less honorable but wildly popular form of sibling coercion known as blackmail. As someone who both slept and tread lightly, she had information in spades. This was a particularly choice piece she'd been saving for quite a while.  
  
Right before she'd returned to Hogwarts after winter break, someone had pulled a rather ingenious prank on Bill which involved charming his clock hand to not only give a general sense of where he was, but to provide a rather detailed, borderline explicit, account of what he was doing at any given time.  
  
It had gone unnoticed until Ginny's father had returned home after popping out briefly to buy some groceries for his wife and found her standing in the hallway, her ears bright red, her mouth wide open, pouring a jug of pumpkin juice into a glass that was overflowing onto the floor. Judging from the quantity of pumpkin juice pooling around her feet, it was clear that this had been going on for quite some time.  
  
Following her gaze to the clock, he immediately threw his jacket over it and ushered his wife into the kitchen before running into the sitting room to make an extremely embarrassing, ill-timed, but necessary call to his eldest son via Floo to inform him that he should cease any...strenuous activities...until the clock was fixed.  
  
No one immediately owed up to the prank, although attention naturally centered around the twins. Bill was convinced Charlie was involved somehow, but there was no proof as Charlie was back in Romania at the time. Initially, the twins disclaimed all knowledge of the incident. Ginny knew she didn't do it and, as this was Bill, she knew her mother wouldn't suspect her because Ginny and Bill had always had an unspoken rule that they didn't engage in that sort of thing against each other. Ron swore he had nothing to do with it either. It wasn't until Molly Weasley had threatened collective punishment that the twins took credit for what had happened. Privately, they'd told Ginny that they only did it to save everyone else from getting blamed and because, if the real perpetrator was unwilling to take credit for something that brilliant well, their loss.  
  
Despite the commotion that had resulted from the event, Ginny had remained largely silent. In truth, she knew exactly who was responsible. She had been awake a few nights earlier and was sneaking into the kitchen to snitch a biscuit when she'd had the great fortune of seeing, quite clearly, someone tampering with the family clock.  
  
"It's the anklet," Percy said quietly.  
  
At this, Fred and George's mouths fell open in identical looks of shock.  
  
"No way...." Fred began.  
  
"...all this time..." George whispered.  
  
"...it was YOU!"  
  
Percy rolled his eyes. "Not entirely." He looked at Charlie who merely shrugged and tried to look as though he hadn't the slightest clue what was going on, but failed miserably.  
  
"Big brother!" Fred let out an exaggerated sniff.  
  
"We're so proud!" George exclaimed.  
  
Before he could stop them, Percy was accosted by the twins, who took turns hugging him so fiercely that his face turned red from the exertion. "Off! Off, I say!" He struggled against them.  
  
Ginny took off the anklet and flung it in Charlie's direction. He caught it easily in mid-air.  
  
George stood back. "Aw, come on Gin, you're such a spoilsport."  
  
Peeling himself off of Percy as well, Fred shrugged. "Eh, no real loss. Wasn't anything that juicy anyway. Nothing nearly as good as if we'd planted it on Hermione. Bet you she and Ron are off snogging somewhere right now."  
  
There was a brief pause as Charlie and Fred looked at one another before Charlie silently tossed the anklet to Fred who quietly pocketed it and tried to look innocent.  
  
Ginny made a mental note to speak with Hermione.  
  
It was then that Ron parted the curtain and wandered in. He glanced at his brothers mildly before his eyes fell on Harry's bed and he turned a bright shade of pink. Almost immediately, he averted his gaze.  
  
"Ah, well, hullo...everyone," Ron said nonchalantly, while studying a part of the white curtain very carefully.  
  
Charlie, who was standing closest, nudged him. "Don't you have something else to say, Ron?" He inclined his head slightly in Harry and Ginny's direction.  
  
Ginny watched with a mixture of sympathy and amusement as Ron's eyes darted in their direction before going back to Charlie. "Well...uhm..."  
  
Charlie raised an eyebrow.  
  
Ron took a deep breath. "No. No, can't say that I do."  
  
Ginny's heart swelled with pride for this unexpected support from her youngest brother and Charlie simply shook his head.  
  
"Well, that settles it, Ronald. I'm sorry, but you're just not doing your job out here." Charlie looked gravely at Fred and George. "You know what that means, men."  
  
Fred nodded sharply. "SubstituTION!"  
  
George abruptly walloped Neville in the back so hard that he stumbled forward a few steps and gasped in shock. "That's right, Neville, old boy, we're trading Ron in for you. We like what we've seen, and we think you could do well here. You'll get used to The Burrow in due time, I'm sure."  
  
Charlie came over and helped straighten Neville back up before putting an arm around the younger boy in a show of good-natured affection. "And, from what I understand, Mum made you an official Weasley Christmas Jumper this year so you're already halfway there."  
  
"We'll send an owl off to your gran," Fred said. "I'm sure she won't mind. Ron's built for hard labor, you know. And if she wants something a little extra to sweeten the deal, well, we're more than willing to throw in a few gift baskets from the joke shop."  
  
"Whatever it takes," George added in a stage whisper.  
  
Ron glared at them.  
  
Ginny almost said something out of loyalty to him, but the look of pure rapture on Neville's face at the prospect of being adopted - even in jest - stopped her.  
  
The gentle murmur of the hospital ward was suddenly shattered by the sounds of raised voices.  
  
"And furthermore, REMUS BLOODY LUPIN-"  
  
Ginny and Harry looked at each other.  
  
"I reckon Professor Lupin is awake," Ginny said dryly.  
  
"So is Tonks, from the sounds of it."  
  
"SHOULD YOU EVER DIE FROM SUCH A COMPLETELY ASSININE MANEUVER AS THE ONE I SAW TODAY, MY ONLY REGRET SHALL BE THAT I DID NOT HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO KILL YOU MYSELF-"  
  
Ron started laughing and Ginny glared at him.  
  
"-NOW GET YOUR IDIOT HANDS OFF OF ME, BECAUSE I AM LEAVING!"  
  
This was followed by a brief rustling sound and a rather panicked shout from Madam Pomfrey.  
  
"Tonks!"  
  
Whether Harry winced at the sound of Professor Lupin's weak call or the dry, hacking cough the followed it, Ginny wasn't sure, but it caused her to slide off of the bed and head for the door.  
  
"I'm going to go after her," she said quietly in response to the room full of quizzical looks.  
  
As it turned out, Ginny didn't have to go too far because, seated right around the corner outside the door to the infirmary was Nymphadora Tonks. The Auror had her head in her hands and as Ginny took a seat next to her, she could hear the other woman moaning "I'm in love with a complete idiot" over and over again.  
  
"Tonks?" Ginny gingerly touched her shoulder and jumped when her friend abruptly sat up and turned towards her.  
  
"Does he have so much as an ounce of sense in him? A member of the Order, running after someone like Bellatrix UNARMED? He's a fool! A complete and utter fool."  
  
"He wasn't thinking, Tonks-"  
  
"Of COURSE he wasn't. Merlin have mercy on his soul if he WAS because then he's a half wit on top of being a fool."  
  
"Yes, well-"  
  
"Men aren't worth it, Ginny. Mark my words, get out while you can. Harry's a dear boy but he has that glazed, stupid look about him too. I'll bet if you went back in and asked him what he thought of what Remus did, he'd say it was 'brave' or some other such nonsensical word men use to cover their own blinding stupidity."  
  
Embarrassed, Ginny felt her cheeks warm, "Harry and I aren't-that is to say, we're just friends."  
  
"Good," Tonks said. "There's a smart girl, Ginny. Smarter girl than I, that's for certain. You allow a man to get to you, and the next thing you know, they're acting like fools at every available opportunity."  
  
"Tonks-"  
  
"Great Merlin, what are you doing out of bed, you FOOL?"  
  
Ginny looked from Professor Lupin's haggard form standing in the door frame to Tonks' agitated face and sank down lower in her chair.  
  
"I was looking for you." Despite being the object of her ire, he was clearly having trouble keeping a straight face.  
  
"In your condition? Wandering around out of bed like that?" She seemed about ready to launch into another fit of hysteria.  
  
"I reckoned I wouldn't have to go too far," he said quietly, and she fell silent.  
  
"Yes, well," Tonks took a deep shuddering breath, "I imagine that's because I'm a fool as well."  
  
He simply smiled at her and held out her hand. Almost reluctantly she stood and took it before casting a glance back at Ginny.  
  
"Speaking of which, what are YOU doing out of bed?!" Tonks demanded.  
  
And, as Ginny didn't have a particularly good explanation, she quickly found herself being led back to her own room and deposited under the watchful eye of Bill, who had returned with her lunch.  
  
Staring at the white curtain that separated her from Harry, she felt a surge of happiness stronger than she had experienced in quite a while. A sudden burst of raucous laughter from behind the curtain made her smile. She couldn't wait until she could rejoin them.  
  
For once, everything was starting to make sense.End Chapter 17  
  
_Special thank you to my betas Anne and Marian. Also, thank you to Ninkenate, Ray, IceSugarHigh (made me laugh), eedoe, padraigin, FemmeDraconis, kranestad, emeralddream, and everyone who has taken the time to review and contact me. It means a lot! _


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